PA Hospital physician trainees are celebrating after 20 of the 23 doctors participating in this year’s assessment passed the RACP exam.
The 87 per cent result surpasses the Queensland average of 74.4 per cent, the national average of 79 per cent, and is a tribute to the dedication of the cohort alongside their invested mentors, Dr Adrian Peters and Dr Faseeha Peer.
Chief Medical Registrar and training coordinator, Dr Adrian Peters says the group had limited time to prepare as this is the first year all the clinical exams were held in June after previously being spread out across June to early August.
“In preparation for the practical exams, we had to fit in six mock exams in under 12-weeks which was a lot of coordination around regular training courses and accommodating other doctors to hear the practise presentations,” Dr Peters said.
After the written exam in February, the more confronting clinical exam in June involves real scenarios and involves presenting their knowledge.
“Last year we had 100 per cent pass rate but only half the cohort size. For us to maintain such a high pass rate two years in a row is fantastic considering factors like patient fatigue where those patients repeat their story to double the number of trainees as part of the preparation process.
“It was really important for us to do well in these exams because we are looking to attract a high-quality registrar to come and work for us. The combination of determination from the cohort and our approach has been instrumental in this year’s success and is a win for us to attract more trainees to the PA’s widely regarded Physician Training Program,” Dr Peters said.
Dr Peters said that he and Dr Peer focus on mentorship and support throughout the registrar training year so that trainees will know that PAH is an institution that values education and offers collegiality.
He said a key part of getting the group through as a cohort was based in their collaboration as opposed to competition.
“They take each other to see cases and notify each other about cases – it is not about hiding resources from each other.”
Testimonies from the RACP Registrar cohort of 2024
"It was a real effort to organise so many practise exams and talking to trainees from other hospitals, some didn’t get as many trial exams. The investment in the mock exams was a real benefit going into the clinical exam." - Dr Jun Yin.
"This is very much a team sport – there is individual achievement in it, but it is not something that we can do by ourselves and we have been wonderfully supported by the whole PA family to get us over the line for this exam. Our CMR’s have been fantastic and have done huge amounts of work to prepare us for a successful outcome for our exams." - Dr Peta Enbom.
"It has been arguably the most challenging months of our careers as registrars and we are thankful to family, friends, and the support of the hospital and it is a real testament to how much work goes on behind the scenes." - Dr Matthew Kim.