Reading.

The answers to the twelve MCQ papers that come with the Stockport Package are intended to cover the syllabus.

Click here to see the topics covered. 

They are detailed enough to give you all the information you need.

They amount to a mini-textbook, so you will not be able to skip through them in a few weeks before the examination.

Get stuck into them straight away.

For most people, they will comprise the bulk of their reading.

You need to know about family planning, paediatrics, HRT, sexually transmitted disease, genetics etc.

I have tried to cover these subjects in the MCQs, but you might find selected reading from a dedicated textbook helpful.

Suitable texts are discussed below.

Then read one or more of the specialised DRCOG books outlined below.

You'll probably find that with the MCQs this comprises all of your reading!

Get organised so that your reading makes a difference - see "Reading constructively". 

The key to passing the examination is having the requisite knowledge and the techniques for MCS, EMQs and "best of five" questions.

The introduction of EMQs and "best of five" questions (BOFQs) only occurred in 2007, so courses and books will have to catch up.

I will endeavour to prepare a reasonable number of both EMQs and BOFQs for the three day course, when technique will be discussed.  

You should aim to have been through all of the MCQ papers at least once before coming on the three day course.

The course is intended for revision and practice in EMQs and BOFQs.

There are a number of books written specifically for the DRCOG, e.g. "DRCOG Revision Guide" by Davies & Hodges.

This was published in 2008 and is-up-to date with the new exam.

Nigel Davies is chairman of the DRCOG sub-committee.

Paul Hodges is deputy-head of the examination department.

They ought to know what they are talking about!

The first 25 pages are taken up with the curriculum & syllabus, which you can access at the College website.

I would have preferred to see the space used for more sample questions.

However, there are 60 EMQs, covering 20 topics.

Remember that the questions come in threes, all dealing with the same “lead-in” and option list.

There are 36 “best of five” questions and 80 MCQs.

The book is not perfect.

The layout of the EMQs is poor.

Everyone will advise you that an essential EMQ technique is to read the "lead-in" first.

Then the first question.

Most times you should then have a good idea of the answer.

So the last thing you do is look at the list of options.

If you start with the list of options, you will get stressed & waste time trying to work out what they all mean and how they relate to O&G.

Particularly if something has been put in the list as a "distractor".

This could be a phoney eponymous title, that you think sounds vaguely familiar: "Blogg's syndrome".

Or something you know little about, like yellow fever & pregnancy.

By definition, these will never be the answer, so you don't want to waste time worrying about them.

Hence the universal advice is not to read the option list first.

Yet the EMQs are laid out with the option list first, encouraging you to read it and stray from the path of examination virtue.

Some of the questions are not very appropriate.

For example, the first MCQ is about ectopic pregnancy and asks if the commonest site is the tubal isthmus.

Much has been made of the new exam reflecting what one might expect a UK GP to know about O&G and this hardly fits.

However, I expect that the college database will have similar questions.

There are no explanations for the answers.

Usefully, there are mock answer sheets at the end of the book.

Filling these in as you go through the questions will give you some practice in the layout of the real answer sheets.

Despite its flaws, I think it would be a good first purchase to supplement my MCQs.

You can get it from the College Bookshop for £26.

This web page has the first 5 of the 12 papers used for the Stockport DRCOG Package.

Click here for sample MCQs from the information booklet and MCQ papers 1-5. 

It would help to read your favourite undergraduate textbook in obstetrics and gynaecology.

But you might be better off working through more of the dedicated DRCOG books.

I  like "Obstetrics by Ten Teachers"  and "Gynaecology by Ten Teachers", but it is a matter of individual preference.

"Essential Obstterics and Gynaecology" was last re-printed in 2003 and getting a bit out-of-date.

But it and similar texts are equally appropriate if you still own a copy. 

"Obstetrics Illustrated" and  "Gynaecology Illustrated" are popular, if a bit dated, and adequate for the basics of the syllabus.

You can delve into the specialist postgraduate textbooks such as:

    Luesley & Baker's "Obstetrics & Gynaecology" - popular with MRCOG students,

    Dewhurst's "Postgraduate O&G" - used to be the standard MRCOG textbook and a new edition was published in 2007,

    James' "High Risk Pregnancy" - an encyclopaedia,

    Nelson-Piercy's "Handbook of Obstetric Medicine" - an excellent, relatively brief résumé of medical disorders & pregnancy.

But you must avoid getting bogged down in the larger books. 

They are useful for topics you do not get to grips with in the simpler books.

But you ought not to read individual topics in too great a depth or you will not cover the syllabus.

Stirrat's "Notes on O&G" has the major topics reduced almost to note form. 

It is intended as an aid to revision and I think that it would be invaluable in this regard.

You should dip into an undergraduate textbook in Paediatrics to cover topics such as:

    examination of the new-born,

    causes of neonatal jaundice,

    common neonatal emergencies,  

    resuscitation of the new-born,

    and common congenital abnormalities.  

A  recent book is: "Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics".

I've gone through the key sections and I think it covers them well.

The best way to get updated is to have some tutorials from your brightest paediatric registrar.

You should receive training in neonatal resuscitation at an early stage in your job.

If not, get it sorted.

You need to know a reasonable amount of genetics.

I've tried to cover all the relevant subjects in the MCQs.

If you need anything further, you should get it in "Medical Genetics for the MRCOG and Beyond".  

Family planning is best learned on a specific course, but will be thoroughly revised on the course.

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to suitable texts.

A very useful little textbook is  "Contraception Today" by Guillebaud.

It was published in 2007 and has everything you need.

The "Handbook of Family Planning & Reproductive Healthcare" by Glasier & Gebbie is excellent.

The fifth edition was published in 2007.

The "Handbook of Contraception and Reproductive Sexual Health" hails from the Margaret Pyke centre & 2004.

It is intended for nurses involved in family planning. 

It is very readable, full of practical advice and covers most of what you need to know. 

It would also be an excellent reference book for your surgery, particularly when there is an updated version. 

Guillebaud’s "Contraception Your Questions Answered" is detailed and an ideal reference resource. 

Hormone replacement therapy could feature in MCQs, EMQs and BOFQs. 

The basics are covered in the undergraduate textbooks.

A recent publication (2006) is Rees and Purdie's "Management of the Menopause - The Handbook".

It will be more than adequate for the exam and useful in practice.

The College had a study group look at the subject.

Their findings were summarised in "Menopause and Hormone Replacement" but a bit steep at £52 and dated 2004.

The practical problem is that HRT is a fast-changing topic and the books are quickly out of date. 

It will be reviewed in depth on the course to ensure you have the latest data.

Sexually transmitted diseases feature in the standard textbooks and will be dealt with on the course. 

A basic book is "ABC of Sexually Transmitted Infections".

It gives you all you need.

I have attempted to cover all important topics in the MCQs. and answers which are sent to those coming on the Stockport course.

I strive to keep them up to date.

If you find any flaws or omissions, please let me know.

There are good reviews in "TOG - the Obstetrician and Gynaecologist". 

It is published by the RCOG and sent to all senior obstetricians, so your consultant will have a copy. 

These are more MRCOG than DRCOG level.  

The College also publishes its own "DRCOG Reading List". 

I don't think this has come from the exam committee or any other authority on the exam.

I think someone in the bookshop has just produced a list of all the texts on the shelves.

They are mainly books of MCQs and OSCEs designed for the examination.

OSCEs are now passé so you would be buying stuff you don't need, though the MCQs might be useful.

It will be some time before they get rid of the OSCEs and include EMQs.

When I last checked (March 2009), the dates of publication went from 1994 to 2008.

A book from 1994 is likely to contain data that are no longer accurate!

If you buy from this list I'd advise sticking to the latest books and ones mentioning EMQs.

You obviously do not need to read all of these books, nor should you try!

I have given a wide list so that you can choose the ones that suit you. 

Most of them will probably be available in your library.

If not, most of the ones I have listed are relatively cheap.

Not the mega textbooks, which are horribly expensive.

Don't buy more than one or two: remember you have to get through the MCQs.

You can order them online from the College Bookshop. 

Or write to the RCOG Bookshop at the College address - see "contacting the Royal College".

You can order them by phone: 020 777 26275. 

You can get them via the Internet e.g. from Amazon or Waterstones.