Postgraduate Examinations Research Articles

The impact of disability on performance in a high-stakes postgraduate surgical examination: a retrospective cohort study.

Despite rising numbers of doctors in the workforce with disabilities, little is known about the impact of disabilities on postgraduate performance. To ensure all groups are treated fairly in surgical training, it is essential to know whether any attainment differences exist in markers of surgical performance. To address this gap, we assessed the impact of disabilities on performance on the Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons examination (MRCS). Retrospective cohort study. Secondary care. All UK MRCS candidates attempting Part A (n = 9600) and Part B (n = 4560) between 2007 and 2017 with linked disability data in the UK Medical Education Database (https://www.ukmed.ac.uk) were included. Chi-square tests and correlation coefficients established univariate associations with MRCS performance, while multiple logistic regressions identified independent predictors of success. Though MRCS Part B pass rates were similar (p = 0.339), candidates with registered disabilities had significantly lower first-attempt Part A pass rates (46.3% vs. 59.8%, p < 0.001). Candidates with disabilities also performed less well in examinations taken throughout school and medical school, and after adjusting for prior academic performance and sociodemographic predictors of success, logistic regression found that candidates with disabilities were no less likely to pass MRCS than their peers (odds ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 1.62). No significant variation was found in MRCS performance between type of disability or degree of limitations caused by disability (p > 0.05). Although candidates with registered disabilities performed less well in formal, written examinations, our data indicate that they are as likely to pass MRCS at first attempt as their peers who achieved similar grades at high school and medical school. In order to enable equity in career progression, further work is needed to investigate the causes of attainment differences in early career assessments.

Analysis of the correlation between students' self-compassion and external pressure under chronic stress response.

Although the environment of college students is relatively safe, they are faced with the pressure of study, interpersonal relationship, and even future employment, which leads to a variety of psychological disorders, among which stress response is the most common one. As a new concept of healthy self, it is not clear how self - compassion affects students' stress response. This study aimed to analyze the role of students' self-compassion based on chronic stress response in negative emotional regulation and coping style selection caused by external pressure, and to provide a theoretical basis for the application of self-compassion in regulating individual emotions in the future. The 427 students from many universities in China who have applied for the 2020 postgraduate entrance examination and were preparing for the examination were classified into S1 group (preparation time < 2 months), S2 group (2 months < 5 months), and S3 group (preparation time > 5 months). The students who didn't apply for the examination were set as D0 control group. The total stress response score, learning pressure, and positive and negative emotional scores of each group were compared. The Bootstrapping sampling method was used to examine the mediating effect of self - compassion. The students applying for the examination were classified into high-level self-compassion group (G1) and low-level self-compassion group (G2). The scores of learning stress and negative emotion in S1, S2, and S3 groups were significantly higher than those in D0 group, and S1 > S2 > S3 (P < 0.05). The proportion of students in G1 group who responded to review setbacks in a mature way was significantly higher than that in G2 group, and the proportion of immature type was significantly lower than that of G2 group (P < 0.05). There was a very significant positive correlation between self-compassion and problem solving and asking for help (P < 0.001). Self-compassion concept can reduce students' negative emotions facing external pressure and protect individual positive emotions. In conclusion, faced at external pressure and stress, individuals with high self-esteem would not escape from their own negative emotions, and were more inclined to choose a positive way to solve problems and seek help from others.

2020 family medicine postgraduate examinations at The University of the West Indies: successes and challenges in the time of COVID-19 pandemic

Little has been published regarding postgraduate assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need to graduate well-trained specialists including family physicians who play a key role in patient...

A cross-sectional study examining the association between MRCS performance and surgeons receiving sanctions against their medical registration

BackgroundFitness to practice (FtP) investigations by the General Medical Council (GMC) safeguard patients and maintain the integrity of the medical profession. The likelihood of FtP sanctions is influenced by specialty and socio-demographic factors and can be predicted by performance at postgraduate examinations. This is the first study to characterise the prevalence of FtP sanctions in early-career surgeons and to examine the association with performance at the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination. MethodsAll UK graduates who attempted MRCS between September 2007–January 2020 were matched to the GMC list of registered medical practitioners. Clinicians who had active FtP sanctions between 28th August 2018 and 28th August 2020 were identified. Data were anonymised by RCS England prior to analysis. ResultsOf 11,660 candidates who attempted MRCS within the study period, only 31 (0.3%) had FtP sanctions between 2018 and 2020. Of these, 12 had active conditions on registration, seven had undertakings and 14 had warnings. There was no statistically significant difference in MRCS performance in either Parts A or B of the examination for those with and those free from FtP sanctions (P > 0.05). ConclusionsIn this, the largest study of MRCS candidates to date, the prevalence of active FtP sanctions in early-career surgeons was 0.3%, significantly lower than the prevalence of sanctions across more experienced UK surgeons (0.9%). These data highlight early-career surgeons as a low-risk group for disciplinary action and should reassure patients and medical professionals of the rarity of FtP sanctions.

Research on the impact events of the main stressors of college students based on the analytic hierarchy process

A Likert scale questionnaire was used to investigate the stress level of 386 college students in a university. According to the difference analysis of the survey data, it is found that male college students are significantly more stressed than girls in terms of love emotions, and junior students study The pressure is significantly higher than other grades. Further, establish a hierarchical analysis model of the psychological pressure sources of college students, analyze the main impact events and weights of the five aspects of college students’ social, study, love, employment, and family pressures, and conclude that the employment pressure accounted for the highest proportion, mainly due to the lack of competitive advantage of the undergraduate degree, but the difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination has been increasing year by year, etc. Followed by the pressure of study, and then family, social interaction and love. In terms of information application, it has a certain guiding role in the psychological education and guidance of University Management Office.

Developing a blended learning postgraduate teaching programme in anaesthesia: pandemic and beyond

One of the many challenges facing doctors in training during the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant reduction in postgraduate medical education in the form of formal teaching. Consequently, we sought...

Application of superhydrophobic ZnO rod composites with environmentally-friendly and photodegradation properties in water environment treatment

The treatment of water pollution is faced with a severe postgraduate examination, which shows that pollutants of different properties, such as water-soluble and non-water-soluble pollutants, exist at the same time. In this paper, superhydrophobic S-ZnO/BiOBr cotton (SH cotton) is designed, which has the ability to degrade water-soluble pollutants through light response and the performance of selective removal of organic solvents. The water contact angle of droplets on the surface of the material reached 162°, on which toluene spread rapidly. When applied to an environment with water-soluble pollutants, the material showed an excellent cyclic degradation ability, and the degradation efficiency of 5 cycles’ was higher than 98.4%. Importantly, the 3 cycles of outdoor degradation efficiency was higher than 92.1% under the actual working conditions. The VB positions of the S-ZnO and BiOBr were calculated to be 2.89 eV and 2.96 eV, respectively. The CB positions of the S-ZnO and BiOBr were calculated to be −0.31 eV and 0.38 eV, respectively.

Investigation and Research on the Entrance Examination for Graduate Students Majoring in "Subject Teaching (Biology)"—Based on the Statistics of Normal Universities Directly under the Ministry of Education in the Past 5 Years

The "Subject Teaching (Biology)" major is to cultivate higher level specialized educational talents for the field of biology education and teaching in middle schools, and its nature is professional education master. This study by looking at six normal universities directly under the Ministry of Education "Subject Teaching (Biology)" professional graduate student recruit students 2016-2020 and professional directory, from the enrolment, first try subjects, second-round exam scores, second-round exam requirements analysis, summarizes the six affiliated colleges "Subject Teaching (Biology)" professional postgraduate entrance examination requirements change. Hope to provide reference for the postgraduate entrance examination students and related education researchers.

Employment of objective structured clinical examination tool in the undergraduate medical training

The delivery of medical education has shown a significant shift from the conventional mode of training to the competency-based training. Assessments have been identified as the most significant difference between the two approaches of training. The purpose of the current review was to explore the employment of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) tool in the delivery of medical education. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out in the PubMed search engine, and a total of 30 articles were selected based upon the suitability with the current review objectives. It is quite obvious that during assessments, we plan to assess knowledge, skill, and affective domains, which actually gives inference about the overall learning progression. OSCE is an assessment tool that is being employed in medical training owing to its objectivity and structured nature. With the passage of time, OSCEs have been widely used in both undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Acknowledging the fact that the OSCE can be of immense significance in monitoring the learning and its progression, it becomes quite essential to ensure its quality. In conclusion, the scope of OSCE as an assessment tool in medical education training is immense. It is the need of the hour to use the tool in an objective and structured manner to assess the level of learning in students and even monitor the progression in learning.

Virtual postgraduate exams and assessments: the challenges of online delivery and optimising performance

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the computerisation and online delivery of postgraduate examinations. Social distancing regulations and lockdown measures resulted in many written and clinical examinations being cancelled during the initial surge of the virus. In an effort to reinstate the assessment of trainees and enable career progression, the UK medical regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC) has approved unprecedented changes to clinical examinations, including virtual assessment. We outline the changes made and the advantages and disadvantages of these new examination formats. We discuss ways for candidates and examiners to optimise their virtual environment and develop skills that can improve performance.

What does the structure of a medical consultation look like? A new method for visualising doctor-patient communication

ObjectiveThis project developed an innovative methodology for visualising consultation structure by categorising doctor-patient talk into the phases proposed by an established educational model of clinical communication. MethodConsultation phases were identified from verbatim transcripts using the tasks and process skills of the Calgary-Cambridge Guide to the Medical Interview. Seventy-eight simulated consultations from a ‘History-taking’ station of a postgraduate examination for physicians were analysed by two independent raters. Transcripts were converted into diagrams comprising up to six phases: Initiating, Gathering information, Summary, Explanation, Planning and Closing. ResultsThe dominant phases were Gathering information, Planning and Explanation (66 %, 10 % and 12 % of talk respectively). While consultations broadly followed the expected chronological sequence, less than a third (23/78) contained all six phases, with Closing and Summary most frequently absent. Half of consultations (40/78) did not include phases in the predicted order, with intertwined phases commonly observed. ConclusionsIn this standardised setting, doctors created variable consultation structures, typically omitting phases involving consolidation and agreement of plans going forward. Practice implicationsThe method enables visualisation and comparison of consultation structure. The findings pose questions about the alignment of practice with educational guidance and the opportunities afforded to patients to actively engage in consultations.

Virtual postgraduate orthopaedic practical examination: a pilot model

COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the delivery of medical education, training and examination schedule across the world both at undergraduate and at postgraduate (PG) levels. The novel...

Patient autonomy in the consultation: How signalling structure can facilitate patient-centred care

ObjectiveTo identify types and functions of doctors’ verbal signalling behaviours used to share consultation structure with patients. MethodDoctors’ verbal utterances signalling what would happen in the consultation were identified by two independent raters from transcripts of 78 simulated consultations from a postgraduate examination for physicians. In total, 974 behaviours were categorised as informing, inviting or instructing. Principles adopted from Speech Act Theory and Conversation Analysis were used to examine their function from their literal meaning and use in context. ResultsSignalling behaviours to inform were most frequent, particularly ‘signposts’, with less informative signalling behaviours also found (‘posts without signs’ and ‘signs without posts’). Behaviours to invite involvement offered limited choice. Doctors also instructed the patient in what to do (behaviour) or not to do (emotion). Behaviours signalled more ‘micro-level’ changes than broader consultation aims. Signalling behaviours carried roles beyond their literal meaning (‘hyperfunctions’) and were combined (‘stacked’), often seen deflecting the conversation away from patient concerns. ConclusionDoctors use a variety of verbal signalling behaviours with multiple functions. As well as sharing information, these behaviours regulate patient agency in the consultation. Practice implicationsDoctors’ signalling behaviours may play an important role in facilitating or inhibiting patient autonomy.

Exploring UK medical school differences: the MedDifs study of selection, teaching, student and F1 perceptions, postgraduate outcomes and fitness to practise

BackgroundMedical schools differ, particularly in their teaching, but it is unclear whether such differences matter, although influential claims are often made. The Medical School Differences (MedDifs) study brings together a wide range of measures of UK medical schools, including postgraduate performance, fitness to practise issues, specialty choice, preparedness, satisfaction, teaching styles, entry criteria and institutional factors.MethodAggregated data were collected for 50 measures across 29 UK medical schools. Data include institutional history (e.g. rate of production of hospital and GP specialists in the past), curricular influences (e.g. PBL schools, spend per student, staff-student ratio), selection measures (e.g. entry grades), teaching and assessment (e.g. traditional vs PBL, specialty teaching, self-regulated learning), student satisfaction, Foundation selection scores, Foundation satisfaction, postgraduate examination performance and fitness to practise (postgraduate progression, GMC sanctions). Six specialties (General Practice, Psychiatry, Anaesthetics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Internal Medicine, Surgery) were examined in more detail.ResultsMedical school differences are stable across time (median alpha = 0.835). The 50 measures were highly correlated, 395 (32.2%) of 1225 correlations being significant with p < 0.05, and 201 (16.4%) reached a Tukey-adjusted criterion of p < 0.0025.Problem-based learning (PBL) schools differ on many measures, including lower performance on postgraduate assessments. While these are in part explained by lower entry grades, a surprising finding is that schools such as PBL schools which reported greater student satisfaction with feedback also showed lower performance at postgraduate examinations.More medical school teaching of psychiatry, surgery and anaesthetics did not result in more specialist trainees. Schools that taught more general practice did have more graduates entering GP training, but those graduates performed less well in MRCGP examinations, the negative correlation resulting from numbers of GP trainees and exam outcomes being affected both by non-traditional teaching and by greater historical production of GPs.Postgraduate exam outcomes were also higher in schools with more self-regulated learning, but lower in larger medical schools.A path model for 29 measures found a complex causal nexus, most measures causing or being caused by other measures. Postgraduate exam performance was influenced by earlier attainment, at entry to Foundation and entry to medical school (the so-called academic backbone), and by self-regulated learning.Foundation measures of satisfaction, including preparedness, had no subsequent influence on outcomes. Fitness to practise issues were more frequent in schools producing more male graduates and more GPs.ConclusionsMedical schools differ in large numbers of ways that are causally interconnected. Differences between schools in postgraduate examination performance, training problems and GMC sanctions have important implications for the quality of patient care and patient safety.

Smith and Aitkenhead’s Textbook of Anaesthesia, 7th ed

Smith and Aitkenhead’s Textbook of Anaesthesia, 7th ed

Study on the Influencing Factors of Undergraduates’ Willingness to Take Postgraduate Entrance Examination in Application-Oriented University

Objective: To understand the undergraduates’ willingness to take postgraduate entrance examination in application-oriented university. This paper analyzes the influence of “postgraduate entrance examination craze” on students’ willingness to take postgraduate entrance examination, and analyzes its influencing factors, so as to provide reference for formulating the policy of postgraduate entrance examination and the goal of personnel training. Methods: The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduates’ willingness to take postgraduate entrance examination by self-designed questionnaire. SPSS was used to test the reliability of the questionnaire, and the value of Cronbach’s alpha is 0.838, which meets the reliability requirements to find out the influencing factors of the willingness to take the postgraduate entrance examination, and to build a model of predicting the willingness to take postgraduate entrance examination by using multiple linear regression. Results: More than half of the students are willing to take postgraduate entrance examination, and most of the influencing factors have positive correlation and significance with the willingness to take postgraduate entrance examinations. Among them, learning ability, perseverance attitude, teacher encouragement, family support attitude, understanding of postgraduate entrance examination, experience exchange meeting can only explain 33.9% of the total variation of the willingness to take postgraduate entrance examination. Conclusions: It has become a trend for students to take the postgraduate entrance examination. The influence of the “craze for postgraduate entrance examination” on students’ willingness to take the postgraduate entrance examination cannot be ignored. Students who want to take the postgraduate entrance examination need to pay more attention to the information about taking the postgraduate entrance examination. Families should increase their support for students, universities and society should actively guide students to establish their own concept of postgraduate entrance examination and treat them rationally.

Analysis of the Problems, Causes and Countermeasures in the Brand Construction of the Postgraduate Entrance Examination Institutions

In the theory of brand life cycle, there are three stages of brand: entry, growth, maturity and decline. In the initial stage of establishing a brand, the postgraduate entrance examination institution paid a huge cost of human and material resources. When the brand has a little popularity, there is little investment in continuing to expand the popularity, and there is a lack of continuous investment. At present, the brand of the postgraduate entrance examination institution is in the growing period. Maintaining the brand popularity, making it not decline, even more brilliant needs to carry on the brand operation. Brand marketing needs both internal and external innovation of the brand [1], combining the four elements of marketing products, prices, channels and services, and achieving brand maintenance through advertising monitoring, word-of-mouth marketing, user management and other ways. Promote the brand image, increase the brand awareness, and realize the continuous brilliance of the brand. This paper analyzes the problems and causes in the brand construction of postgraduate entrance examination, and puts forward corresponding solutions. This paper analyzes the problems and causes in the process of building the brand, and finds out the rules and ways to build and maintain the brand of education and training institutions.

Indian Dermatologists Wield Technology to Combat COVID-19!

Indian Dermatologists Wield Technology to Combat COVID-19!

Psychiatry postgraduate examinations for 2020 in the middle of COVID19 crisis: Suggestions from Indian teachers of psychiatry.

The COVID19 pandemic is an unprecedented disaster. In India, the spread of COVID19 infection and the subsequent lockdown coincided with a crucial period of the annual examination in almost all educational institutions. The pandemic has created hurdles in the conduct of examination due to many reasons, some of which are spread of infection and associated safety issues, lack of public transport for patients as well as the postgraduates in outstation and examiners, and lack of workforce due to round-the-clock service for rendering health services leading to difficulty in arranging logistics at the examination center. Currently, there are no guidelines or policies on how examinations need to be carried out during such a pandemic. Hence, there is an urgent need to look at solutions within the profession for the completion of examination. Teachers of psychiatry play an important role in the national mental health services. Their expertise can be valuable for finding solutions that work. This article has compiled suggestions from Indian teachers of psychiatry.

Situational judgement test: Psychometric analysis of a pilot study for selecting post graduate medical student in residency program

Introductions: Selection process of post graduate medical students requires combination of knowledge, cognitive abilities and skills. Situational judgement test (SJT) is one on the important tools to measure cognitive abilities and skills. This study aims to measure the internal consistency reliability of SJT tool and item quality for local validation of the non-academic attributes. It also aims to do sub-group analysis of SJT scores based on this tool to provide further evidence for validity. &#x0D; Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) in May 2017. Two sets of SJTs were developed after iterative discussion and modification to suit the local context. Set A had five options to a given situation, students had to rank these options from most appropriate to least appropriate. Set B had seven options to a given situations, students had to pick three best options. Medical officers and interns who were working at PAHS as medical officers participated in this study. &#x0D; Results: One hundred and sixteen medical officers participated in the study. Thirty-nine (33.6%) participants were interns who had graduated from PAHS and 77 (66.4%) were medical officers who had graduated from various institute inside and outside the Nepal. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for 35 questions was 0.65, that for set A (19 questions) was 0.56 and that for set B (16 questions) was 0.52. Adding SJT questions improved value of Cronbach’s alpha for SJT test as 40, 50, 60 and 70 questions gave Cronbach’s alpha of 0.68, 0.73, 0.76 and 0.79. Average percentage correct of set A was 76.3% and that of set B was 60.5%. SJT scores were statistically different for medical graduates from Nepal and different universities within Nepal. &#x0D; Conclusions: Locally developed situational judgement test is found to be reliable instrument for measuring non-academic construct of post-graduate medical entrance examination.