click on book faces to view larger images
    The final clinical part of the examination is often the most feared part.
    Several teachers in the UK recommend sitting this part after the second year of your SHO career although I
    might not agree because I know several colleagues who passed this test after less than a year of paediatric
    training.
    Whatever your level of training there are some books that you can not avoid before taking the final clinical part
    of the MRCPCH.
    In this page you will find a collection of these books that helped colleagues pass the final clinical part.
    Before embarking on these books There is one particular advice;
    Do not attempt to master everything in paediatrics! No one can do that, and if you try you will spend years
    without ever finishing therefore having mastered the following books is what matters and not knowing
    everything in paediatrics. A big support for this advice is that the RCPCH has removed the terrifying VIVA part
    of the exam.
    Advanced paediatric life support
    This is mandatory and questions will invariably arise not only in the video scenario station but also in any other
    station
    You have to make your emergency procedures a second nature
    Therefore, I strongly recommend the following book;
    Advanced Paediatric Life Support
    The Practical Approach
    Advanced Life Support Group
    4th Ed

    You have to read the entire book and don't just select chapters!
    The next step is
    to master "Clinical Paediatrics for Postgraduate Examinations"  by Terence Stephenson
    This book can be regarded as the golden standard of the clinical exam,
    Although it was written before the new format but it stills gives the most comprehensive approach to the
    clinical exam
    You can just simply think of the "long cases" presented in the book as a possible
    history taking and management skills station.

    The "short cases" representing the newly body system examination stations

    This book is really MRCPCH exam tailored
    Now that child development examination is a station common for all candidates
    You have to know the milestones by heart
    In order to do that just read the chapter on developmental examination in the above book and memorize the
    milestones in pages 206 and 207
    Take it from me these milestones are easily forgotten especially for the junior trainee
    So don't go for detailed textbooks wasting your time
    The new exam format includes two communication skills assessment stations
    and again the above book provides beautiful guidelines on how to express your communication skills
    The neurological examination another universal station
    can be comfortably reviewed with the above book as well
    You can see that six out of the 10 stations are covered by the above two books
    The other four "short cases" are also seen in the second book BUT I would like to recommend some other
    "short cases" books
    which further illustrate the possibilities and make you
    fully ready for the final
    These are:
    1- Short cases in paediatrics by Alan Cade
    This book present an approach to short cases that you should follow in your
    preparation.
    Example:
    When you read nephrotic syndrome you should have a mental image in your mind
    of a boy whose puffy and is having a urinary catheter beside him to measure the
    urinary output or a dipstick for urinary protein …….. And that you should be ready
    to talk about cushion syndrome and it may be possible for you to measure the
    blood pressure in the exam!
    This book talks about short cases exactly the way you should be thinking in the
    weeks and months before the final.
    2- Short Cases for Paediatric Exams: A Revision Guide by Adam W. Glaser
    This book can be regarded as your notebook for the short cases, it contains short
    summaries of all common MRCPCH short cases to which you can add your notes
    from other sources
    Another "must have" book
    When you finish reading all these books and you
    feel you are ready
    Here comes the final step before the exam
    that is Courses
    These are very important and will shape you up
    for the exam
    The three most useful are linked here (See
    Right)
    1-    Smart courses: you can apply at  www.
    smartcourses.com

    2-    Imperial College Paediatric MRCPCH II course, tel
    00447949092589, 00442078867997
    (MRCPCHcourse@imperial.ac.uk)

    3-    Ealing Paediatric Courses, tel 00447989912728,
    Colin Michie (colinm@easynet.co.uk)


    NB/ If you are an overseas candidate and willing to
    apply at an exam center in UK
    I don't advise you to take an overseas course
    you have to go to UK for these courses to familiarize
    yourself with
    the bedside environment and the examiners of UK
    hospitals
Good Luck
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Preparing for the MRCPCH Part 2 Clinical Exam