FRACS Part II Exam

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FRACS Part II Exam

• Adrian Fox
• Box Hill Hospital

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General tips

• Unwind
• At least once / week

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General tips

• Organise
• Be realistic with time
• Papers between cases
• Priority list
• excel

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General tips

• Sleep

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General tips

• Try to keep perspective
• Tough time
• Stressful
• Dont become overwhelmed
• Exam in competence
• Forget the small print

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General tips

• Try to keep perspective
• Drinks with examiners
• They are your bosses

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General tips

• Try to keep perspective
• Richard Cade
• There is no other way we know that drives
  learning such as an exam
• Patients put their trust in us, so that demands
  100 commitment

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General tips

• Try to keep perspective
• Plan to pass
• Backup plan - failing

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General tips

• Discuss with each other and bosses

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General tips

• From now concentrate on past papers and core
  material
• Know the syllabus!!
• Practice presentation
• Practice examination technique
• Under pressure

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Short Cases

• Be flexible - put that stuff away
• Tools
• Stethoscope
• Tape measure
• Torch

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Short Cases

• You want to look like you examine a thyroid every
  day

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Short Cases

• Wound recurrence TCC renal pelvis

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Short Cases

• Wound recurrence TCC renal pelvis
• Confirm diagnosis
• Stage disease
• Assess pts fitness for surgery
• MDT discussion
• Consider local resection and reconstruction
• Same as written paper
• Templates!

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Short Cases

• Ganglion ant wrist
• abdominal Incisional hernia
• NF type II

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Short Cases

• Scenario- pelvic trauma
• Forgot pelvic binder!
• FAIL!!

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Long Cases

• Post Op Ivor-Lewis oesophageal Ca
• Post op breast DCIS

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Defences

• Templates
• Cancer
• Trauma
• Septic processes
• Operative
• Anatomy
• Consent
• Etc
• Consent
• NH of disease, options, likely treatment, risks,
  benefits, outcomes, return to work, function

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Defences

• Operative surgery defence templates
• Aim To stay calm
• Bleeding
• Loss of control of the can be a serious
  problem intraoperatively and can place the
  patient in jeopardy.
• Pack the area for initial control and organise
  myself.
• Alert anaesthetic staff and scrub sister

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• Can for extra senior assistance if available.
• get lights focused
• Suction
• Instruments
• Plan approach and talk to assistant both not
  panicking
• Extend wound
• Gain control
• Other manoeuvres

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Advice

• Do exactly what you are going to do next year
• Right hemi stuck to duo

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Advice

• Everyone feels at some time during the exam that
  they have failed stay positive

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Advice

• Speak to someone who has failed the exam
• Often have a more realistic perspective
• Pass dont realise where there mistakes were