Fellowship examination WRITTEN EXAM

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Fellowship examinationWRITTEN EXAM

• STEVEN KARAMETOS

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Formalities

• May 2006
• Venue Home State
• Melbourne Racs
• ? 10 am
• All specialties examined together
• Parking
• Arrive 45min early
• Fox Hey guys this may be the last written exam
  we ever do

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Writing implements

• papers are photocopied for several examiners
• necessary to use a black writing device for
  dense and continuous lines.
• Black fountain pen, black ink ball writers (for
  example, Jetstream Mitsubishi 1.0mm pen) will
  provide clear reproduction.
• Black biros are less legible. Coloured writing
  will not reproduce well.

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Written Papers

• Paper 1
• 2hrs
• 25 spot questions of equal value
• Booklet Colour photocopied photos and questions
• Reading time
• Name and exam I.D (52)
• Write in booklet

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Paper 1

• 4-5 short questions below photo
• Expect many variations and be sure to answer the
  question concisely and precisely.
• Do not make any answer perfunctory.
• performed merely as a routine duty hasty and
  superficial
• Do not underestimate the importance of
  predispositions, associations, aetiology or
  pathogenesis.
• Do not write an essay

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Lunch break

• Talk to each other
• Make each other anxious
• Have lunch

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Written exam

• Paper 2
• 2hrs
• 8 short answer of equal value
• Each question is written in a separate booklet
• Lined book with large spaces per line
• More than enough sheets per booklet
• Scrap note booklet also available
• Reading time
• 15 min per question

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Paper 2

• Plan your answer
• Point form, algorithm form or in very brief note
  form.
• Illustrations, graphs, flow-charts, tables may
  be used to answer the question
• Look at RACS website Fellowship Examination Guide
  for candidates for examples
• It is highly unlikely that the candidate will
  achieve success with a conventional formal essay
  format.
• It is not necessary to provided references

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Paper 2

• Time management
• Failing to answer a question is a great
  disadvantage
• leave difficult questions until the end
• Clarity of writing contributes handsomely to the
  likelihood of passing.
• Capitals for headings and underlining for vital
  elements of the response will also help to ensure
  that the examiner credits your understanding and
  values

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Marking of spot test answer paper

• Written paper 1 questions are marked as a pass or
  fail.
• Must pass 20 questions to pass this paper.
• Must past paper to pass whole exam
• A candidate who passes 23 or more questions will
  be ranked 9.5.
• A pass in 2022 questions will be ranked at 9.0
  for the paper.
• Pass 16 questions is 8.5, borderline fail.
• Pass only 15 questions is ranked at 8.0 which is
  a clear fail.

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Marking of short answers

• The examiner will mark each short answer
  according to the following outline
• a complete answer which is clearly set out with
  appropriate priorities, logical sequence and no
  major error of omission or commission Score 9.5
  
• an almost complete answer, well set out with
  appropriate priorities with minor omissions and
  no serious errors of commission Rank 9 (a pass)
  
• an answer which is not clear and which has one
  major error of commission, of omission or failure
  in prioritisation Score 8.5 (borderline fail)
• an answer with multiple gaps and more than one
  major error of omission or commission or lack of
  priorities Rank 8 (fail)

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Marking of short answers

• A candidate who scores 3 x 9.5 or more and no
  score below 9 Rank 9.5.
• A candidate who scores 6 x 9 and 2 x 8.5 or 7x 9
  or 1 x 8 Rank 9 (pass).
• A candidate who scores 4 x 9, 3 x 8.5 and 1 x 8
  Rank 8.5 (borderline fail).
• A candidate who scores more than 1 x 8 or more
  than 4 x 8.5 Rank 8 (clear fail).

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Preparation

• CORE KNOWLEDGE
• Books
• Surgical
• Companion series (8) 2005-2006, Current surgical
  therapies/Cameron 2004
• Oxford textbook 2001, Sabistons 2004, Swartz,
• Operative
• Chassins, ?Farquharson's
• Journals
• ANZ
• BJS
• ?6 months to one year
• Practise spot questions
• http//www.surgicalexam.com/
• Practise short answers against the clock

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Spot question examples

• 72 year old farmer is seen in the pre-anaesthetic
  clinic for a check prior to inguinal hernia
  repair. A chest x-ray is requested as he has a
  smoking history. An interesting incidental
  discovery is made.
• What is the finding?
• What is the likely diagnosis?
• What further investigations would you arrange?

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Spot question examples

• A 35yo lady undergoing appendicectomy for proven
  acute appendicitis is found to have this
  incidental abnormality.
• What is the abnormality?
• What is the origin of the abnormality?
• What other ways can this present?
• What would you do at operation?

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Website answer

• 4. What would you do at operation?
• This Meckel's is asymptomatic and not associated
  with a band. If a band were present it should be
  divided to prevent bowel obstruction. The
  Meckel's should also be palpated for any abnormal
  mass which would than require resection. Assuming
  there are no visible or palpable abnormalities
  then the next issue is the patient's age. The
  risk of complications from Meckel's diverticulum
  decreases with age. Thus many surgeons would
  leave an incidental Meckel's in a patient over
  30-40 years of age but remove it in patients
  under 30 years.
• The proviso for resection is that it must be able
  to be performed without adding morbidity to the
  operation being performed. Typically the
  diverticulum is able to be transected at it's
  neck and does not require formal small bowel
  excision with anastomosis.
• The final consideration is the Meckel's
  identified at exploratory surgery where no other
  pathology is identified. In this situation most
  surgeons would agree that even in the absence of
  obvious pathology in the Meckel's it should be
  resected.