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Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (MRCS) is a
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...
diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
for surgeons in the UK and
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. Obtaining this qualification allows a doctor to become a member of one of the four surgical colleges in the UK and Ireland, namely the
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...
, the
Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...
, the
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, it originally ...
and the
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland's first private university. It was established in 1784 ...
. The examination, currently organised on an intercollegiate basis, is required to enter higher surgical training (ST 3+) in one of the Royal colleges. Thus today's MRCS has replaced the former MRCS(Eng), MRCS(Ed), MRCS(Glas), and MRCS(I). (Similarly, the MRCP is also now intercollegiate.)


History

Each college used to hold examinations independently, which is what the post-nominal ''MRCS'' used to indicate, for example, MRCS (London) specifically. After decades of discussion of possible intercollegiate MRCS and FRCS, they were implemented in the 21st century, at first by unifying the syllabus of the separate qualifications of MRCS(Eng), MRCS(Glas), MRCS(Ed), and MRCS(I). In January 2004, the four colleges switched over to a common examination, known as the Intercollegiate MRCS.


Examination

The MRCS qualification consists of a multi-part examination including both theory and practical assessments. Part A is a 5-hour examination which assesses the applied basic sciences (a 3 hour paper in the morning) and principles of surgery in general (a 2 hour paper in the afternoon) using
multiple-choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is mo ...
Single Best Answer only. It has a passing mark around 71% and pass rate of around 30 per cent. Maximum number of attempts for Part A is 6 and there are usually 3 sittings per year in January, April and September. Part B is a 4-hour practical examination which assesses elements of day-to-day surgical practice through 17 stations of 9 minutes each (with additional resting and preparation stations) on anatomy, pathology, critical care, clinical procedures and patient evaluation (history taking, clinical examination and communication skills). Each station carries a maximum of 20 marks and an additional global rating by the examiner. It has a pass rate of around 50 per cent. Maximum number of attempts for Part B is 4 and there are usually 3 sittings per year in February, May and October. Current curricula have changed to introduce the completion of both exams as a mandatory requirement to complete core surgical training prior to application to higher surgical training (ST3) in the UK. Trainees often require multiple attempts at the examination in order to pass.


Examination preparation

A large and varied collection of commercial revision resources are available which can improve a candidate's chances of success. These resources include courses, books, online question banks and mobile applications.


See also

* Intercollegiate MRCS syllabus


References

{{reflist


External links


Intercollegiate MRCS

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Royal College of Surgeons of England

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Educational qualifications in the United Kingdom Medical credentials