Tips to Pass the SCA for GP Trainees

Primary Care Knowledge Boost

As requested by GP Trainees, this week's episode is on tips to pass the Simulated Consultation Assessment exam; the final exam for GP trainees in the UK. We spoke to Dr Anne Hawkridge who was a GP trainer in Bolton for over 20 years and has been a MRCGP examiner since 2007 when the CSA (Clinical Skills Assessment) started, the predecessor to the pandemic RCA and now the SCA.

She is also the co-founder of the successful exam support programme here in the North West; the SOX programme (Support on Exams) and co-author of the North West England Consultation Toolkit which is published in full on the MRCGP SCA preparation website.

Questions we had were; what is the exam, what does it look like, how much does it cost, when to consider sitting in, how to approach revising for it and what pitfalls to avoid. The top tips fit into 4 themes; GP consulting skills, ensuring knowledge, good exam technique and timing. Anne covers the changes in the exam through the recent years and there’s plenty in there to give people a flavour of how they can approach the exam in a way that will maximise their chance of success, as well as gaining skills for being a good GP.

You can use these podcasts as part of your CPD - we don’t do certificates but they still count :)

Useful resources:

• Interviews from successful North West Deanery Trainees: https://www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sca-resources
• We highly recommends listening to the interviews in full on the North West Deanery SCA resources site here https://www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sca-resources
• Royal College of General Practitioners Simulated Consultation Assessments Introduced and Explained with the Toolkit: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/simulated-consultation-assessment/introduction
• We recommend that you watch the short How to use the toolkit video:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMHfHJVENfk
• Royal College of General Practitioners Red Amber Green (RAG) Rating Tool: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/95fa6d76-b02d-41c8-873d-f1ccf576dd4b/sca-consultation-toolkit-rag.pdf
• North West England Deanery Website with information and tips on Passing the SCA: https://www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sca-resources
• The SCA-SOX Programme: https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/general_practice/sca-sox-programme

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This podcast has been made with the support of GP Excellence and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Given that it is recorded with Greater Manchester clinicians, the information discussed may not be applicable elsewhere and it is important to consult local guidelines before making any treatment decisions.

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