Following a decision by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK in response to the UK wide lockdown and pressures on the NHS, we regret to advise that the start of the 2021.1 UK PACES examination diet is to be delayed until 13 March 2021. The three Royal Colleges of Physicians’ […]
Originally posted by MRCPUK on 7 Jan 2021 here. As a consequence of the latest lockdown restrictions announced by the governments of the UK, the Federation of the three UK Royal Colleges of Physicians has taken the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the paper-based Part 1 examination due to take place in written centres in all […]
Throughout this pandemic, our College has sought to provide certainty and clarity with regards to our delivery of education activity. Our conferences and teaching courses will continue to remain online for the foreseeable future; procedural courses which cannot be delivered online and are important for progression through training will continue to run in a COVID-secure way.
We understand how difficult and challenging the pandemic has made preparing for and sitting these high-stakes examinations, particularly as day-to-day surgical practice, which is integral to preparation, has been so disrupted for surgical trainees. The pandemic caused all postgraduate medical examinations to be postponed earlier in the year, clearly disrupting candidates hoping to take exams, and worrying for those whose career progression relied on examination success.
Attendance at and necessary travel to essential educational events should be treated in the same way as undertaking direct clinical care in terms of the requirements of COVID-19 guidance.
On the 23rd March this year we closed the doors to our College buildings in Glasgow. With the spread of COVID-19 on the rise, the Scottish Government joined with the other administrations across the UK to put the country on lockdown. Offices and non-essential shops were closed, along with public spaces such as libraries, communal parks and playgrounds, and places of worship.
The four Surgical Royal Colleges are pleased to announce that the September 2020 MRCS Part A examination will be delivered remotely as an online assessment. As a consequence, the capacity of this examination will no longer be limited by COVID-19 restrictions and candidates will be able to sit the examination without the requirement to travel to an examination centre. The format and syllabus of the examination will remain the same. The examination will take place on 15 September 2020 only; all candidates who have applied to sit the MRCS Part A in September, along with those who have been transferred from the April 2020 diet, will be accommodated on this date.
We are now accepting applications for examinations to be held in September 2020 onwards as per the advertised opening/closing dates. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation we are currently working as a College, and in conjunction with our Intercollegiate partners, to identify ways to continue to deliver examinations whilst adhering to the relevant Government guidance. The safety of our candidates, examiners and staff is our key priority.
The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) has published its latest digital newsletter. “Training matters”.
The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and the four Surgical Royal Colleges are intending to resume examination activity for the MRCS and DO-HNS from September 2020, dependant on relevant Government and Scientific advice.
