Dr Mark Feldman

Money

AKT

CSA

Become AiT £492

AKT £414

CSA £1389

Fee to PMETB £78

AKT Computer marked ‘multiple choice’ paper

CSA Practical assessment of consulting skills

Relevance: The AKT should be relevant to general

practice; any topic covered can be one which occurs commonly or one which is significant but less common

High prevalence: Low impact e.g. URTI High impact: Low prevalence e.g.

meningitis Topical: e.g. Controlled drugs

Clinical Evidence

Cochrane Database

BNF

GP Curriculum

NICE

SIGN

BMJ Review articles & original papers

BJGP

DTB

Core clinical medicine and its application to problem solving in a general practice context ◦ 80% of items

Critical appraisal and evidence based clinical practice◦ 10% of items

Ethical and legal issues as well as the organisational structures that support UK general practice◦ 10% of items

Regulatory frameworks

Legal aspects, e.g. DVLA

Social services, e.g. Certification

Professional regulation, e.g. GMC

Business aspects, e.g. GP contract

Prescribing, e.g. Controlled drugs

Appropriate use of resources, e.g. drugs

Health & Safety, e.g. needlestick injury

Ethical, e.g. Mental capacity, consent

Know latest guidelines

Know the BNF

Know basic stats

Your core medical knowledge is probably already sufficient.

1102 candidates Mean score 71% Top Score 92% Pass mark 63.3% Pass rate 83.8%Pass rate ST2 86.3%Pass rate ST3 83.8%

Clinical medicine 74%

Evidence interpretation 68.2%

Administration 60.1%

Asthma – in childhood

Breast and skin disorders

Certification

Fitness to work and drive

Emergency medicine

You must bring:

BNF, Stethoscope, Ophthalmoscope, Auroscope, Thermometer, Patella hammer, Sphygmomanometer (aneroid or electronic), Tape measure, Peak flow meter and disposable mouthpieces

There are no spares at the exam centre

Anything else you need is provided

You have your own room.

You have a list of patients – your ‘surgery’ for the morning.

The list contains brief info about the patient.

It may or may not include PMH, drugs etc.

You probably wont know why they are coming.

You have never seen the patient before – but colleagues might have.

Buzzer will sound and patient and examiner come in.

You have 10mins after which buzzer will sound again. Anything said or done after this will not count. The patient and examiner then leave.

There is no ‘1min/2min’ warning buzzer.

There is a 2 minute break between patients.

There is a 15min break after 7 patients seen.

The examiner sits out of your line of site.

Examiner does not participate in the consultation. Ignore them.

All patients are played by actors who have been well briefed beforehand

They will almost certainly not have any physical signs to elicit on examination

If you want to examine the patient say so and say what you are going to examine.

If they are testing this exam technique they will let you go ahead.

They will then give you the exam findings.

If they are not testing this exam they will just give you the findings and tell you not to examine.

They will only give you results of exams you say you will do.

Examination is what you would normally do as a GP.

This means a lot of it can be done with the patient sitting in the chair.

It does not have to be exhaustive.

Eg. Chest exam – percussion and auscultation is fine.

Any investigation results will be on the table in front of you or, more likely, will be brought in by the patient.

It will list normal levels so you don’t have to remember them.

Abnormal findings will be common GP tests.

Eg. Hb, HbA1c, urinalysis etc.

It will not be anything obscure.

If you want to prescribe a drug you don’t have to write a prescription

All you need do is say

Eg. I will give you omeprazole 20mg once a day.

This is as good as having written it.

There are prescription pads on the table. Do not let these distract you.

DON’T WRITE ANYTHING DOWN

There is no time

The prescription will be marked

There is no penalty for just saying it

You have to say what you are giving anyway

The same applies for blood tests and sick notes and any other forms you might write.

Just say what you will do.

If you want to make a referral, ask the patient to wait in the waiting room and you will bring the letter/form out to them.

Leaflets can be ‘collected from reception’

You have 10 minutes per case.

‘Shows poor time management’ is a reason they can fail you at the station.

And they will.

You MUST be consulting at 10 minutes.

Each case is marked in 3 domains :

◦ Data gathering, examination and clinical assessment skills

◦ Clinical management skills◦ Interpersonal skills

All domains have equal weighting

Do not spend 8 minutes on history and examination – you will fail the station.

But those domains have no meaning…

What are they actually looking for?

DATA-GATHERING, TECHNICAL & ASSESSMENT SKILLS

Gathering & using data for clinical judgement

Choice of examination

Investigations & their interpretation

Demonstrating proficiency in performing physical examinations & using diagnostic and therapeutic instruments

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Recognition & management of common medical conditions in primary care

Demonstrating a structured & flexible approach to decision-making.

Demonstrating the ability to deal with multiple complaints and co-morbidity.

Demonstrating the ability to promote a positive approach to health

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Demonstrating the use of recognised communication techniques to gain understanding of the patient's illness experience and develop a shared approach to managing problems.

Practising ethically with respect for equality & diversity issues, in line with the accepted codes of professional conduct.

The grades will be on a four point scale:

Clear Pass Marginal Pass Marginal Fail Clear Fail

There are no merits or ‘grades’ at the end for the exam as a whole.

You pass or fail.

Disorganised and unsystematic in gathering information from history taking, examination and investigation

Does not identify abnormal findings or results or fails to recognise their implications

Data gathering does not appear to be guided by the probabilities of disease

Does not undertake physical examination competently, or use instruments proficiently

Does not make appropriate diagnosis

Does not develop a management plan (including prescribing and referral) that is appropriate and in line with current best practice.

Follow-up arrangements and safety netting are inadequate

Does not demonstrate an awareness of management of risk, and health promotion

Does not identify patient’s agenda, health beliefs & preferences / does not make use of verbal & non-verbal cues

Does not develop a shared management plan or clarify the roles of doctor and patient

Does not use explanations that are relevant and understandable to the patient

Does not show sensitivity for the patient’s feelings in all aspects of the consultation including physical examination

Disorganised / unstructured consultation

Does not recognise the challenge (e.g. the patient’s problem, ethical dilemma etc.)

Shows poor time management

Shows inappropriate doctor - centeredness

Be in general practice for a few months

Consult at ten minutes

Be Flexible

Scales of the consultation - Weigh your words [ not too many closed questions]

The magic questions◦ What can I do for you today ...?

Silence / body language◦ Is there anything else?

Silence / body language

◦ Have you any thoughts / worries about what this might be ?