The first MRCS prep course was held in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Clinical Educational centre Drogheda on Friday, 5 September 2014.

The course was attended by Surgical Trainees and was supported by experienced MRCS examiners and led by Professor Peter Gillen, Consultant General Surgeon & Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, and RCSI & Eamon Mackle, Senior Consultant Surgeon, Craigavon Area Hospital and RCSI Examiner.

The MRCS course is designed to help candidates familiarise themselves with the OSCE format of the Part B exam. Candidates were rotated through different OSCE scenarios which cover all components of the exam – applied anatomy, critical care, communications, surgical pathology, clinical procedural skills and emergency medicine.

Professor Peter Gillen said: “The MRCS prep course was a great success and is a valuable resource for candidates sitting the MRCS in the future. We hope to make this an annual event so that future surgical trainees can benefit from this expertise.”

Quotes from Surgical Trainees

•  “Overall a very worthwhile and educational experience.”
• “The course was very useful and well organised.”
• “The course was great. I am sure that everybody gained a lot. Personally, I know what I should do to pass.”