Exam Preparation

Teaching

Trainees who are on a 2 year contract will rotate on a 6-12-6 month based model; the first 6 months will be spent in Wagga Wagga and Campbelltown, followed by 12 months at St Vincent’s to prepare for the RACP exam, and the last 6 months in Wagga Wagga and Campbelltown. As we are transitioning to a 3 year training program the model will change slightly, but trainees who are preparing for the RACP exams will be based at St Vincent’s Hospital.

All three training sites have local teaching programs to assist with exam preparation. This includes a lecture program for the written exams, integration of regular bedside teaching to assist with practical knowledge and clinical skills, and a variety of clinical exam preparation sessions including masterclasses in the lead up to the clinical exam.

The St Vincent’s South West Network offers unique and unparalleled clinical training experiences for its Basic Physician Trainees. As well as having many subspecialties in medicine on campus, St Vincent's Hospital is also home to the heart and lung transplant program for New South Wales and is a centre for allogenic bone marrow transplantation.  The hospital prides itself on the quality of care it strives to offer for those in the community who are disadvantaged and most in need.  This unique case mix of patients ensures that Basic Physician Trainees receive experience in managing complex medical problems and tailoring treatment plans to an individual patient’s social and personal context.

Written exam program

The written exam preparation is a combination of didactic and interactive tutorials are provided by Consultant Physicians and Advanced Trainees from various medicine subspecialties. The program complements the material offered by the RACP online lecture series program. There are Q&A sessions scheduled intermittently where trainees can bring in material or questions that they would like to discuss.  A weekly trainee-led journal club & case presentation session is run with the DPE. Trainees are also provided with the opportunity to sit three statewide written exams and a local written exam. 

Since 2019, the written examination lecture program has been delivered in a hybrid format. This has allowed trainees across the network to access teaching delivered from all three sites.

Clinical exam program

Our clinical exam preparation begins early, overlapping with the written exam preparation. The program starts with “how to” sessions to demonstrate the idea of short and long cases. The program intensifies following the written exam, which includes daily teaching sessions for short and long case practice and subspecialty masterclasses. All three training sites host a trial exam as well, all of which provide exposure to interesting pathology and provide excellent exam scenario practice.