Your question answered......re MCQ preparations

"I will sit for my RACGP MCQ exam in 2014 and have only started my preparation.  What do you suggest for me to do?"  Dr B Australia.


Hi Dr B,

I would suggest for you to consider the following:


1  Read Murtagh as the "foundation".   It will not be enough for the exam but it will serve as the main "trunk" of knowledge.  Aim to read it 2-3x before the exam.  My personal rule is to read it 3x.

2  Do CHECK MCQs…they are quite good.  You can source them from the RACGP in your state.  There are also CHECK CDs.  When I sat my exam, I did a few years worth of CHECK MCQs ???some say 3 years.  The problem with doing the older ones is that the information may be out of date so be careful here.

3  Family Physician Journal also have MCQs…do them as well as they are quite good.

4  Make contacts with other people who are sitting exams and get "past papers" to give you an idea of what the exam is like and also get use to the format of the exams.  I believe that the RACGP does have some "sample questions".  I don't know about now but in the past they do.  Please contact them for further advice.

5  Main principle is to use Murtagh Text as your "trunk" of the knowledge tree and use Check, Family Physician, lectures notes, other journals, seminars, workshops, meetings as the "branches and leaves" in the knowledge tree.  The trick is to have a broad knowledge base and add the details onto to that over time and not the other way around.  In General Practice, it is quite important to see the bigger picture as well as the details.

6  Also make connection with other people who are sitting the exams and ask what are they doing.  This is to get a general guide as to what you should do.  My general rule is get a general idea of what everybody else is doing and then, as a safety margin of error, do a bit above that.

7  Learn to time your MCQs as well.  This is very important.  If you run out of time in the MCQs, consider just fill out the rest with "Cs" or "Bs" or whatever you like.   Do not try to be fancy and pick a random answer.  When I sat my exams, there was a general concensus that "Cs" were more probable due to examiner's bias but I don't have concrete evidence for this.  Maybe you can do the research on this and share your findings with us on this forum!  Note:  I am not encouraging people to just guess in the MCQs but obviously if you have no time left, then it is just common sense to have a strategy in place.

Hope that helps....
Good luck!

Dr Vin

Your Question on the 10 year Moratorium rule for IMGs in Australia

"Hi, I would like to know how does the 10 year Moratorium rule work?  Does it apply to both IMG and also to international medical student who attended Australian medical school?" Dr F from overseas.

This is what I have found on www.gpsynergy.com.au .  It stated the following regarding your question above.

Those affected are Overseas Trained Doctors who did not obtain their primary qualification in Australia (including NZ) and who were not registered as a medical practitioner prior to January 1997. Overseas doctors who obtained their primary medical qualification in Australia but were not an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen when they commenced studying are also affected by the moratorium.

For more information, you can contact AGPT on 02 6263 6777 or www.agpt.com.au.

I have also emailed this question to one of our Panel Members and once I have further information, I will post it on this site.

Needing help on the pre-employment structured clinical interview PESCI

"I am going to do GP PESCI. I would like to get some advice on finding a study partner, available online courses, materials etc."  Dr G from Sri Lanka

Dear Dr G,

Thank you for your question.   As I do not have any personal experience in sitting for the PESCI nor have I had the experience of being on the panel of the PESCI, I will invite other Doctors to share on this forum the answer to your question.  In the meantime, I have include the following links on the PESCI which you might find useful.

PESCI stands for pre-employment structured clinical interview.

IMG PESCI Assessment

RACGP information on the PESCI

International Medical Graduate of Australia

Good luck.  I will update this post as I get further information or tips.
See my first comment in the comment section below.  Click on comment.

Your question answered by Dr Sandeep Kumar Consultant Dermatologist at Mater Health Service Redland

" I have a 45yo with psoriasis on the scalp, face and elbow without any systemic symptoms. He is relative well otherwise. How would you treat this?" GP Qld

"If there are no contraindications, can use Daivobet gel nocte on scalp and taper down treatment as needed. Can use Daivobet ointment daily on other areas. Tar shampoo twice a week may help."



Dr Sandeep Kumar
Consultant Dermatologist
Mater Health Centre Redland
16 Weippin Street
Cleveland Qld 4163
Phone 07 3281 4111

Your question answered by Dr Phil Lockie Upper GI Surgeon on "What to do with an incidental finding of gallstones in a young healthy person?"



Dr Phil Lockie

"I have got a 40yo male with an incidental finding of asymptomatic gallstones.  Should I refer this patient?"  GP Registrar Qld

"The current guidelines are that asymptomatic gallstones do not require treatment. They do not require referral or treatment. Obviously about 5% or so will become symptomatic each year."

Dr Phil Lockie

MB BCh MPhil FRCSI(Gen) FRACS Upper GI, Bariatric, Laparoscopic Hernia Specialist
Brisbane Private Hospital
http://www.drphillockie.com.au/

Your question answered by Dr Vin on "What to do when you are stuck in the OSCE?"

Your question answered

"What should I do when I get stuck in the OSCE?"  Dr C, Past Exam Candidate Qld.

My simple tips here are:

1. The first one is obvious....ie try not to say Hmmm...Hmmm....Ahhhh....which most of us have done one time or another.  It is so easy to do when you are nervous.
2. Try not to be nervous by being prepared and have the right mindset for the OSCE as discussed in our previous "Your question answered" post on Wed 25/04/12.
3. Do a brief summary is probably the most helpful here eg  "So John, what you have told me so far is that you have been having this vague discomfort in your tummy for the last 3months.  It is not related to food.  It is not related to exercise.  And your bowels are fine.  Is there anything else you can tell me?"  Doing a quick summary might help you to become more "centred" again so that you can gather your thoughts and then solve the problem.  It will also help with the "flow" of your consult in the OSCE.

Anyone else with other tips, please feel free to comment in the comment section below.

Hope this will help.

Dr Vin Tran
MBBS FRACGP University of Qld
http://www.priorityhealthmedicalcentre.com.au/

Your question on "Tips to help with performance anxiety?"

"I recently took the clinical and did not do well mostly because of performance anxiety.  Any tips to help me with performance anxiety?"   Dr B from Australia

Dear Dr B,

This is a common problem and I can certain empathize with you.  These are my simple tips on how to overcome Performance Anxiety in the OSCE Exam.

1. Obviously, prepare for the exam adequately and know your work.  Knowing your work will lead to confidence, and confidence can then override anxiety.
2. Get your mindset right.  A lot of candidates go into the exam with the mindset of "Iam the exam candidate and the people in front of me are examiners." In the GP OSCE exam, the examiners may be playing the role of patients and hence, it is essential that you adopt the mindset of "Iam the Doctor and the people in front of me are the patients.  These patients may be difficult patients but handling these situations are part of my normal everyday job as a Doctor.  The day of the exam is going to be in essence easier than my normal working day.  I will only have to see 18 patients instead of 40 like my usual day and every case will finish on time!  So it will be a relatively easy day at work!"
3. The last tip I have here is very simple but yet, still very important.  Remember to still wear your normal work clothes as this will help with your "right mindset".   

Hope this will help.  Feel free to comment on the comment section of this post and I will respond accordingly.

Dr Vin Tran
MBBS FRACGP University of Qld
Priority Health Medical Centre