The Membership of Royal college of surgeons (MRCS) is the internationally recognized qualification for surgeons. This is the best option for you to advance your surgical skills and thereby become experts in surgery. The membership is awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of England , Ireland, Glasgow and Edinburgh. This exam is mandatory for qualifying RCS(UK) membership. This examination tests one’s clinical competency, surgical skills, and knowledge. Here we are discussing everything about the MRCS exam pattern and syllabus.
Exam Pattern:
The MRCS exam is conducted in two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A of the MRCS exam is a computer-based exam that consists of two papers.
Two hours are allotted for the first paper, “Applied Basic Science,” while the second paper, “Principles of Surgery in General,” lasts for 3 hours. The papers cover the entire spectrum of general surgical topics and applied surgical knowledge.
Part B of the MRCS exam consists of clinical scenarios that are designed to test the candidate’s clinical skills and competencies. This OSCE consists of 18 examined stations each of 9 minutes duration.
MRCS Part A examination is a written exam that tests the candidate’s knowledge of basic surgical sciences and principles of surgery.
Paper 1: Applied Basic Science
Paper 2: Principles of Surgery in General
The syllabus for Part A includes the following topics:
- Basic Surgical Skills
- Common surgical conditions
- Basic sciences knowledge concerned with surgical practice
- Surgical patient care/Preoperative
- The assessment and management of surgical patient
- Surgical care in Paediatric patient
- Assessment/Early treatment of patients with Trauma
- Tissue and Organ Transplantation
- Management of Dying patient
- Leadership skills and Professional behaviour
MRCS Part B exam is an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) that tests the candidate’s clinical skills and competencies.
Candidates get assessed in the following areas.
- Applied skills – History taking, communication, clinical and procedural skills.
- Applied Knowledge – Anatomy, applied surgical pathology, critical care, and applied surgery.
The fees are subject to change, so the candidates must check the latest fees directly in MRCS official website before applying for the examination.
The MRCS exam is an important step towards becoming a surgeon. The MRCS exam pattern and syllabus. are designed to test your knowledge and skills in surgery, and you’ll need to be familiar with both in order to pass the exam. With hard work and dedication, you can achieve your goal of becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.