MRCPsych Courses (UK)

eMRCPsych

Leicester

A two-day course "providing training for the CASC in the exam format by experienced examiners and actors." Day one focuses on 'generic' single and linked stations, and day two focuses on 'specialty' single and linked stations.

Neuroanatomy for Psychiatry

London

"This special one-day programme provides a clear and focused review of functional neuroanatomy with particular emphasis on key structures and systems of relevance to psychiatric practice.

Following a refresher of normal brain development, anatomy and neurochemistry, the topography and functional areas of the cerebral cortex are considered in detail, correlating functional anatomy with common neurological and psychiatric syndromes.

The concept of the limbic system is then considered and its key components (including the basal forebrain and substantia innominata) are discussed - before moving on to look at the functional organisation of the basal ganglia and their relevance to neuropsychiatric disease, including the parallel cognitive, motor and affective loops that form the interface between thought, emotion and action."

Cambridge Statistics and Research Methodology Crash Course

Cambridge

"This course will thoroughly prepare candidates for the Statistics and Research Methodology components of the MRCPsych Papers 2 and 3.  The course will teach General Research Methodology and all specific research types e.g. RCTs, health economics, aetiology, qualitative research etc.  After each mini topic there will be MCQ/ EMQ practice and discussion.  The course will cover all statistical tests that are likely to come up in the exam, e.g. Mann-Whitney, multiple regression, and discuss how to interpret them and answer questions on them.  The statistics will be scattered through the day, presented together with the relevant study design, to keep it in small doses!  Teaching will include essential calculations, e.g. NNT, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio.  Candidates will have plenty of opportunities to practise them.  The course will conclude with MCQs and EMIQs that test knowledge across study designs, e.g. Which is the best statistical test to use in a specific situation?  What type of bias would occur in this situation?  Which is the most appropriate study design?

We will discuss more than 250 questions including MCQs and EMQs from the 2008 exams, the pilot exams, EMQs from previous exams, questions adapted from the old-style exam and questions written by the Cambridge team.  Full paper handouts will be given of questions; answers and explanations; and slides used to teach theoretical material.  Questions will be e-mailed to candidates before the course, so they can try them in advance if they so wish.

Sarah Devereux (sarah.devereux@cpft.nhs.uk).
Tel: 01223 884 208.

The Cambridge Course

Cambridge

Although the course itself runs over 2 semesters, they offer a number of crash courses in the run up to the exam, spread over 1-2 days. Prices are reduced for local candidates (see website for details).

The lecture notes used on the course are also available on the website at no charge.

Contact details (for all the Cambridge MRCPsych courses) are:

Sarah Devereux (sarah.devereux@cpft.nhs.uk).
Tel: 01223 884 208.

Newcastle Course

Newcastle

"The Newcastle Course is designed to assist candidates in preparation for the CASC paper of the MRCPsych exam. It is a one day course during which each candidate will see 32 stations, half of which will be stand-alone OSCE stations and half will be paired stations. The programme will provide four circuits, each running under exam conditions mimicking the MRCPsych exam. Each candidate will perform one complete circuit of 8 stations, 4 individual and 4 linked stations. Each candidate will also be able to observe 24 other stations.

Individual feedback will come from a variety of sources:-

• Examiner feedback sheet, with a score and comment for improvement. The score is based on exam format.
• Written feedback from the actor, something candidates have found to be of great value in previous courses.
• A DVD of one of your stations to allow you to observe your own performance."

The Oxford OSCE/ MRCPsych Course

Oxford

"Oxford Psych course is an exam oriented intense weekend revision course conducted in Oxford. The pass rate for our candidates who appeared in the Autumn ’07 MRCPsych part 1 OSCE is 96% & MRCPsych part II Clinicals is 98%. Candidates from Hongkong,Singapore,UK and Ireland who attended the recent CASC Course ( May’08 )have given excellent feedback about our course after attending their exams. We are continuing to help candidates pass their Royal College exams. Our Paper I, Paper II, Paper III and the CASC courses are specially designed for the new format of MRCPsych exams conducted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The Oxfordpsych Paper 3 weekend course has been redesigned and examiners who actually were involved in setting up the Royal College Paper 3 critical appraisal questions would be teaching on the first day of the Paper 3 Course. We shall cover the individual specialities on Day2 of the Paper3 course. Our course material and questions are based on the recently held/past Royal college exams.

The OxfordPsych CASC Course is a weekend course designed primarily on the new CASC format using Royal college Examiners &professional role play actors who take part in the actual exams. We would be covering both individual and paired stations in our CASC Course to be held in Oct."

NEW! We have started streaming videos online showing single and paired stations. The stations were recorded in the Oxfordpsych CASC course May’08 and involve professional role players who actually took part in the CASC exam. Access to the videos is FREE!

SPMM MRCPsych Exam Courses

London

"The CASC course is a two-day intensive course aiming to cover 76 Scenarios (Simple and Paired stations) with extensive opportunity for candidates to practice under strict exam conditions with professional role players and experienced examiners. Each candidate will perform 18 stations and will observe 58 more. Both oral and written feedback will be provided. Comprehensive course materials for more than 100 stations are included. Most CASC stations from the Spring 2008 exam will also be covered."

"All 3 written papers are also covered with comprehensive weekend revision courses. Both MCQs and EMIs will be dealt with in detail by experienced tutors. All questions will be solved using Powerpoint slides followed by clear explanation & teaching. The course materials are peer-reviewed and thoroughly referenced.  We provide mock exams on the day of revision courses and also provide free online access to the question bank and course materials for all attendees. Our question bank is comprised of more than 2500 questions with answers, explanations, and full references with links to journal sites wherever available (more than 100 questions from Spring 2008 Royal college exam also included in each paper). We also have a 24/7 doubt clearance forum where explanations with references will be provided by our specialist online tutors.

Contact Details: (07816) 908158; spmmcourse@googlemail.com.

SPMM WPBA Course

London

"It is a one-day teaching course focusing on different work place based assessments (ACEs, mini-ACEs, Case-Based Discussion, Case presentation, Journal Club Presentation and Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) in psychiatry for trainees from ST1-3 level.

The course features input from experienced assessors and role players involved in Royal College Pilot assessments, with clear demonstration of different WPBAs.The course also features clinical assessment of cases, formulating case history, planning management options for common psychiatric cases and it aims to help the candidates perform WPBAs confidently in a wide variety of clinical settings.

Separate sessions for journal club presentation covering research methodology, basic statistics and application of EBM (evidence based medicine) will be covered in detail. Detailed course materials will be provided for all WPBAs."

Contact Details: (07816) 908158; drsreeprathap@hotmail.com.

The Birmingham Course

Birmingham

"The Birmingham Course is one of the most preferred psychiatric teaching courses for the MRCPsych examinations. We aim to provide candidates with the most update and comprehensive preparation for the MRCPsych examinations, and have been providing revision courses since 2003.

Paper I, II & III Courses: The weekend and online courses for the written papers are based on 'Evidence - Based principles' aiming to comprehensively cover the college syllabus. Teaching for the MCQs and Extended matching items (EMIs) will be based on questions from the previous College exams. Detailed handouts will be provided for all the subjects covered in the course.

Papers I, II, III Online Courses: We also provide online only courses for the three papers. The Online courses are available at www.birminghamcourseonline.co.uk, and provide ‘Evidence-Based revision’ for the MRCPsych exams. Candidates attending the Papers I, II or III courses will be provided free access to the relevant Online courses till the day of the exams. Each of the questions (MCQs & EMIs) will have evidence-based answers and explanations provided, including references. The online website has had more than 2 million page-views since its inception.

CASC course: The CASC course will be a focused weekend course provided with an appropriate balance of small group practice, and focused CASC training in a lecture based format. The two elements of the course will provide the most ideal revision for the CASC exams."

Superego-Cafe CASC Course

Manchester

"One day is spent practising OSCE stations (standalone and linked) in small groups with examiners and simulated patients. Each delegate will perform 4 standalone and one pair of linked stations, and will observe other delegates performing 16 standalone stations and 4 pairs of linked stations. Delegates receive constructive feedback on their performance in oral and written forms after every station."

"On the other day delegates participate in an interactive workshop on interview skills techniques and management plans for the linked stations. This will take the form of several standalone mini OSCE stations to illustrate the key points."

Superego Cafe will be running MRCPsych courses from May 2008 for Papers 1 and 2 and from July 2008 for Paper 3. Details for the written courses will be given below in due course.

Superego-Cafe Critical Appraisal Course

See Website

"We teach you everything you need to evaluate medical evidence. Critical appraisal is taught from first principles. We assume you have no prior knowledge. We use plain English to explain the meaning of research jargon."

The classroom course comes with a copy of 'The Doctor's Guide to Critical Appraisal' book, and online access to course materials for 2 months.

The course also comes in an online version and courses run in Hong Kong and Australia (early 2009 onwards).

The OSCE Course

London

"Fully updated for the CASC, the OSCE Course delivers an intensive weekend of clinical scenarios including complex linked stations under exam conditions. With our specialist experience of OSCE training since 2003 this clinical course is dedicated to helping you pass the final MRCPsych exam."

The course organisers also offer one-to-one coaching sessions.

Bristol Critical Appraisal Course in Psychiatry

Bristol

A Three-day course for the MRCPsych Paper 3 (Research Methods & Critical Appraisal) exam, consisting of small group seminars. Organised by the Academic Unit of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol.

"Teaching time: 20 hours consisting of short lectures and practical sessions in small groups in which participants will critically review published papers.

"Course material: You will be provided with a comprehensive handbook (on the first day of the course), which explains the key terminology used in critical appraisal. This will also contain copies of the lecturer’s slides, together with accompanying notes and practical exercises."

Please note that the course on 4-6 Feb '08 has been cancelled.

The Manchester Course

Manchester

Papers 1, 2 & 3: "The courses provides a comprehensive review of knowledge required for the exam. Teaching for the multiple choice question/ extended matching item paper is based on college questions collected by the course organisers over the last several years, subdivided into clinical specialities. Detailed explanatory handouts accompany the lectures. A mock exam completes your written paper preparation."

CASC: "Small group OSCE teaching covers the new clinical exam. Candidates will practice ‘stand alone’ and ‘linked’ stations with patient role players. Each candidate will perform the task in at least 3 stations under examination conditions and will in total be exposed to 12 ‘stand alone’ and 6 ‘linked’ stations (where the tasks are performed by other members of the group)."

C and J Clinical

London

"C&J Clinical will be holding a course for the new MRCPsych examination which will start in Spring 2008. The basic tenets of the C&J course will be retained. Consequently, the C&J course will first teach the techniques required to pass different OSCE stations before going on to practice these stations. As far as we are aware this approach is not currently employed by any OSCE course and we look forward to our Spring 2008 course being as valued and successful as the current course. "

Basil C.Vining, Course Organiser,
C and J Clinical,
Forest Edge
Culford
Bury St.Edmunds
Suffolk IP28 6DW
Telephone: 01284 728485 Email: basilv@vining0741.fsnet.co.uk

Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health

Oxford

The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, in conjunction with the Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health hold a two-day course "MRCPsych Part II Critical Review Paper Study Course" at the Department of Continuing Education, Ewert House, Ewert Place, Banbury Road, Oxford.

This course is aimed specifically at those preparing for the MRCPsych Part II Exam. Do you need to revise epidemiology AND practice critical review questions? This intensive two-day course will equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for critically appraising diagnosis, prognosis, qualitative research, therapy, harm, aetiology, health economics and systematic review questions.

Apply on line at www.cebm.net/courses.asp or by contacting:

Olive Goddard, Manager
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
Old Road Campus
Headington
Oxford OX3 7LF
Tel 01865 289337, Fax 01865 289336