Choosing a course.   

Tom McFarlane.

Going on a course for the DRCOG is not essential, but most people find it helpful.

It is best to use the course to refresh your knowledge immediately prior to the examination.

The main problem with the new exam will be the EMQs, with which most will be unfamiliar.

I have put a sample question on the "Format of the Exam" page.

Ideally a course should give guidance and practice in the techniques for answering EMQs.

The Stockport course has incorporated EMQs into the lectures to ensure adequate practice.

I am sure that other courses will have done something similar.

Local courses will be known to your Postgraduate Tutor.  

It makes sense to find out about the course nearest to you and attend it. 

The best way to check it out is to get a programme for the course and to find someone who has been on it.

Discuss it with your Postgraduate Tutor, who will probably have a good idea of its quality.

Whichever course you choose, give your Postgraduate Tutor feedback so that they can advise others.

The College lists a number of courses. 

This is not a measure of excellence or any sort of College imprimatur.

The College doesn't asses the courses; it just runs an information service. 

If you find a course that appeals to you but is not on the College list, do not let that put you off.

Courses listed by the Royal College of O&G.

Checking that the course will definitely take place.

A lot of people have started to run courses in recent years.

Courses are expensive to run and it seems that some have not recruited enough people to be financially viable.

There have been a number of occasions on which courses have been withdrawn at the last minute.

I'd be inclined to ask if the course has ever been withdrawn when you book.

It must be very annoying to be told a few days beforehand that the course has collapsed.

Particularly when you have arranged study leave, paid your money and have difficulty finding an alternative course.

The fact that a course is on the College website does not mean that it is guaranteed to take place.

Courses listed by the Royal College of O&G.

Checking out courses on the internet.

A lot of people do this.

I doubt that you will find one that is not on the RCOG website.

Courses on the Internet

Try to go on a family planning course.

The College expects a level of knowledge comparable to those taking the Diploma in Family Planning, now the DFSRH.

It is a big topic and is best learned on a specific course.

The feedback I get is that family planning courses are excellent.

Try to get on one before taking the DRCOG.

Click here for the Diploma in Family Planning, now the "Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare".

What you should be looking to get from the course.

There are lots of differences between the courses.

So you need to look carefully at their make-up, not just their location and duration.

The course should be used for revision, not substantial new learning.

It's a tough exam: don't expect a course to get you through the exam if you haven't done any work!

57.1% of the marks are for the MCQs.

30% of the marks are for the EMQs.

12.9% of the marks are for the "Best of Five" MCQs.

The course should give you the opportunity to complete as many MCQs as possible to show up gaps in your knowledge.

And to give you the opportunity to polish your technique.

Ideally the MCQs should be issued in the months running up to the examination to encourage you to work.

Alternatively, they can be issued as "homework" during the course, though you might not feel up to it after a long day.

Some include them during the course itself, which I do not agree with.

It makes for a cheap and easy session for the organisers, but wastes valuable course time.

If the course includes MCQ sessions with hours spent ticking "true" and "false" boxes, you would be better doing this at home. 

The exception would be interactive sessions with a lecturer using MCQs to highlight areas of deficient knowledge and then filling in the gaps.

I would guess that most of the courses now have sessions like this.

If the course does not include MCQs, you can buy books with examples. See suggested reading. 

Check before paying your money!

A course needs to give you training and practice in EMQ technique.

On the Stockport course we have put MCQs, EMQs and "Best of Fives" into the lectures.

Some have even been converted to comprise just MCQs, EMQs and "Best of Fives". 

The lecturer includes all of the important points in the questions then discusses the ones that are not well understood.

I expect that most of the other courses have done, or are doing, something similar.

The course should provide teaching in key areas that may not have been part of your experience:

        family planning,

        genetics,

        neonatal problems etc.  

Our experience with the Stockport course is that we need three days.

But other courses are organised differently and last up to five days.

If you look in detail at what the different courses offer, you should be able to find the one that best suits you.

Whichever course you choose, I'd be interested to hear what you thought about it.

Tom McFarlane.