AMC MCQ Bridging Program Calendar 2014

Series State Location Commencement Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Workshop 3

MCQ Series 2014.1
2014.1 QLD Buranda February 1 February 1 February 22 and 23 March 22 and 23
NSW North Sydney February 1 February 1 March 8 and 9 April 5 and 6
ONLINE ONLY Online Delivery February 1 Online delivery only
MCQ Series 2014.2
2014.2 QLD Buranda April 26 April 26 May 31 and June 1 July 5 and 6
NSW North Sydney May 3 May 3 June 7 and June 8 July 12 and 13
ONLINE ONLY Online Delivery May 3 Online delivery only
MCQ Series 2014.3
2014.3 QLD Buranda August 2 August 2 September 13 and 14 October 4 and 5
NSW North Sydney August 2 August 2 August 30 and Aug 31 October 4 and 5
ONLINE ONLY Online Delivery August 2 Online delivery only

AMC Clinical Bridging Program Calendar 2014

The AMC Clinical Bridging Program runs every Friday for 8 consecutive weeks from the date of the course commencement.
Trial Exam (Course
Series State Location Commencement 2014 Course Fees
Concludes)
Clinical Series 2014.1
2014.1 WA West Leederville January 24 March 15 MCQ Bridging Program $3995**
NSW North Sydney February 7 April 5 MCQ Online Only $2000
VIC East Melbourne February 7 April 5 **Installment payment available
QLD Buranda February 14 April 12 Clinical program $5995**
Clinical Series 2014.2
2014.2 VIC East Melbourne May 2 June 21
WA West Leederville May 2 June 28
NSW North Sydney May 2 June 28
QLD Buranda May 23 July 19
Clinical Series 2014.3
2014.3 NSW North Sydney July 4 August 23
WA West Leederville July 11 September 6
VIC East Melbourne July 18 September 13
QLD Buranda July 25 September 27
Clinical Series 2014.4
2014.4 NSW North Sydney September 19 November 15
WA West Leederville September 26 November 22
VIC East Melbourne September 26 November 22
QLD not running
asat 12/11/13
 ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF GENERAL
PRACTITIONERS

AMC Bridging Courses

for Overseas Trained Doctors

RACGP bridging programs are developed in context with the Australian Medical
Council’s process for professional recognition of overseas trained doctors. The
programs are designed to rapidly enhance the capacity of candidates to improve
their professional knowledge in the areas necessary to pass the AMC
examinations and for subsequent clinical practice.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) page 2

2 options are available :

- Full program including weekend workshops & 2 trial exams
- MCQ online only
In preparation for the AMC MCQ examination

Clinical Course page 4

In preparation for the AMC Clinical Examination -
the structured clinical assessment

Clinical Trial Examination page 6

The programs have been designed to assist overseas-trained doctors who:

• Seek professional recognition in Australia

• Are preparing for the AMC examinations
• Are seeking guided learning to target key performance gaps in sitting the
AMC examinations
• And/or have experienced difficulties with past AMC examinations.
Multiple Choice Questions
In preparation for the AMC examination

KEY COMPONENTS

• Flexible delivery format

• Unique and intensive ten week course that combines block lectures, guided tuition,
trial exams and RACGP’s online testing facility
• Developed by medical educators experienced in the AMC examination processes
• Targets performance gaps and expedites the learning process
o Medical knowledge is tested on the following key subjects:
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
- Paediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Medical educators who are experienced in the examination process provide an

environment that is both supportive and within the context of the examinations. The
course is designed to immerse participants in content that is equivalent to an internship
standard in Australian medical practice.

Option 1 – Full program:

Format

This course paces you through the extensive knowledge areas covered in the AMC MCQ
Examination, with particular attention given to interpretation in the Australian context.

The MCQ course is a ten week intensive course in preparation for the AMC MCQ
examination. The majority of the course is run online (internet), although you are
also required to attend 3 face-to-face weekend workshops usually about a month
apart (from 9 am to 5 pm).

Weekly questions

You will receive a total of 400 questions online over the period of the course. On the
Monday of each week 40 questions are posted on the online site and then remain online
for TWO weeks, 24 hours a day. Participants receive immediate feedback by way of the
correct answer and explanation after each question as well as a weblink to an article/s
relating to each question. Our online testing system provides an intensive learning
experience that will help you identify areas for improvement.

On the online site there is also a discussion board which is monitored by an

experienced medical educator. This discussion board is a forum for you to ask questions
of other participants on the course and receive guidance from a medical educator
moderator when required.
Three weekend Workshops

You are also required to attend three face-to-face weekend workshops (5 days in
total).

a. The first of these is an orientation day on the first day of the course (a Saturday) and
begins with an orientation to the Australian Health System and the AMC examination
process. During this workshop you will be given details of the process of doing a
multiple choice question paper, information on how to navigate the online learning
website, and you will undertake a short trial examination in order to test your skills.
This Trial exam will then be analysed in detail by an experienced medical educator on
the day with the course participants.

b. The second and third face-to-face weekend workshops take place during the
program. Before these workshops you will have sat a three hour, 125 questions trial
examination paper online and the weekend workshops will involve analysing your
scored paper, question by question with discussion. You will receive a folder of
relevant readings and information

Option 2 – MCQs online only:

MCQ online only are for IMGs who are not able to attend the weekend
workshops or do not live near the State office where the course is conducted or
live overseas.
Participants receive a total of 400 questions online over the period of the course. On the
Monday of each week 40 questions are posted on the online site and then remain online
for TWO weeks, 24 hours a day. Participants receive immediate feedback by way of the
correct answer and explanation after each question as well as a weblink to an article/s
relating to each question.

HEALTH TOPICS
The course centres on a wide range of topics that are commonly covered in the AMC
MCQ examination and are relevant to the Australian context of health care. They include
the following key topics:

Internal Medicine
Coverage of all the systems, regions and disciplines will be taught, including the complex
topics of Neurology, Breast and Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, Orthopaedics, Rheumatology
and Nutrition/Metabolism. Key areas of community health and public medicine will also
be covered.
Surgery
Comprehensive coverage of all the systems, regions and disciplines will be taught,
including pre-op and post-op complications, cancers, acute abdominal and surgical
emergencies.
Paediatrics
Common paediatric conditions will be explored, with particular emphasis on childhood
infections, paediatric emergencies such as meningitis, foreign body injuries and child
abuse.
Psychiatry
This includes coverage of depression and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and
management of these.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Particular attention will be given to complications of pregnancy, intrapartum
management of normal and abnormal labour as well as post-partum complications.
Gynaecological conditions will include contraception, menopause and vaginal infections.

Program advantages
• Experienced medical educators provide participants with support and guidance to
maximise the learning environment.
• Guided learning provides participants with the opportunity to improve their
professional knowledge in all disciplines to the level required to pass the AMC MCQ
examination.
• All participants are provided with appropriately timed performance feedback.
• Groups are kept to a small number to allow easy participation in the discussion.

• Course participants will have access to the RACG’s e-library resources as outlined
below for 6 months from the commencement of the course .

Access to the RACGP John Murtagh Library’s online resources for AMC
Bridging Course participants.

Harrison’s Online
Harrison’s Online featuring the complete contents of Harrison’s Principles of Internal
Medicine (18th edition) along with additional content such as podcasts, graphics,
lecture notes and videos.
AccessLange e-books
Over 40 AccessMedicine e-books accessible via a sophisticated but intuitive search
interface.
EBSCOhost databases
A suite of EBSCOhost full text databases comprising:
o the popular nursing database CINAHL Plus with Full Text;
o MEDLINE with Full Text;
o Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection;
o Health Business Elite
o Australian & New Zealand Reference Centre.
ProQuest Health and Medical Complete database
ProQuest Health and Medical Complete is a database of journals covering all clinical
and healthcare disciplines, including medical sciences, immunology, pharmacy,
nursing, and surgery with over 1200 of the journals being available in full text.

DynaMed
DynaMed is an evidence-based clinical reference tool created for use by doctors and
other health professionals for use primarily at the ‘point of care’.
A - Z Journal list
The library’s A - Z journal list includes live links to journal titles available through
online resources such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest and the Informit Health Collection.

Audio Digest downloads

 Audio Digest produce monthly themed issues comprising a number of audio articles
which can be listened to directly via the website or downloaded to a PC or mp3 player
for playback at a convenient time. Summaries of each program are available as PDFs
alongside the mp3 links.

eTOC (electronic Table Of Contents) service

One way of keeping abreast of the literature and on top of developments within
specific areas of interest is to regularly look over current table of contents of
journals.

Courses have been developed by experienced medical educators who have examiner
experience and some of whom are themselves overseas trained doctors.

Candidates should be:

• assessed by the Australian Medical Council as being eligible to sit for the MCQ exam
(contact the AMC directly for details on this – e.g. allocation of an AMC reference
number)

• able to prove they have passed the Occupational English Test (OET) for medical
practitioners or the International Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall B
grading for the OET and a Band 6.5 with no score below 6 in the IELTS system, or
have been granted exemption as per the requirements set out by the AMC for
eligibility to sit the examination.

• If arriving from overseas, or not a permanent resident of Australia, we require a

photocopy of your immigration Visa that you have been granted. All immigration Visas
must be valid for the entire duration of the bridging program or we are unable to
accept your registration. Please note: We are unable to hold places for overseas
residents who have not been granted a visa or are awaiting a visa.

Course fee:

MCQ online only: $2,000

MCQ Complete program: $3,995

Financial assistance through paying by instalments can be arranged.
Clinical Course
In preparation for the AMC Structured Clinical Assessment Examination

KEY COMPONENTS
The program is run on 8 consecutive Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm with the last session
being the Trial Exam (Structured Clinical Assessment = SCA) on the following Saturday.

• Developed by expert medical educators experienced in the AMC

examination processes
• Flexible delivery format
• Identifies and targets performance gaps
• Small group learning (1 Medical Educator to 6 participants)
• Simulated examination activities promoting high standards of medical
• competence
• Projects designed to be rigorous in the context of the Australian medical
environment
• Focus on communication skills and application of medical knowledge in the
context of practising medicine in Australia.

Courses are held at the RACGP State offices.

The program is based on small group learning principles. Learning is enhanced in an

environment that is both supportive and in context with the examinations.

The teaching methodology is based on clinical examination and case study training. It
promotes rapid detection of performance gaps. Candidates are immersed in the social,
legal and ethical contexts of Australian Medical Practice through a learning content that
is relevant to Australian medical practitioners. A key focus is on the communication
skills required for diagnosis and management of a consultation.

KEY LEARNING MODULES

Medical and Surgical consultations (including psychiatry)

Medical and surgical consultations include case scenarios and cover core disciplines of
medicine and surgery. The diagnosis and management of crisis counselling for a wide
range of serious illnesses will be covered. ‘Difficult’ (e.g. bad news, angry patients)
consultations are featured.

Obstetrics and Gynaecology consultations

Conditions covered will include antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal complications of
pregnancy. A range of gynaecological conditions commonly seen in Australia will also be
considered.

Paediatric consultations
Common paediatric conditions will be explored, with particular emphasis on consulting,
counselling and management skills. Difficult and more complex issues, such as
counselling parents of a child with a newly-diagnosed condition, will also be covered.

Physical Examination
Demonstration and supervised practice in physical examination of different clinical
scenarios will be offered at most sessons.

Investigations
Interpretation of pathology and ECG results will be incorporated into the simulated
clinical consultations.

PROGRAM ADVANTAGES

• Experienced medical educators provide participants with close attention and support
to maximise the learning environment.

• Immediate feedback after role plays is provided to better identify and correct
performance gaps.

• Candidates are taught current methods of good doctor-patient relationships and the
opportunity to critically appraise and improve their own consulting skills.

• Courses have been developed by medical educators who have examiner experience,
some of whom are themselves overseas-trained doctors and are AMC Clinical
examiners.

• Course participants will have access to the RACG’s e-library resources as outlined
below for 6 months from the commencement of the course:

Access to the RACGP John Murtagh Library’s online resources for AMC
Bridging Course participants.

Harrison’s Online
Harrison’s Online featuring the complete contents of Harrison’s Principles of Internal
Medicine (18th edition) along with additional content such as podcasts, graphics,
lecture notes and videos.

AccessLange e-books
Over 40 AccessMedicine e-books accessible via a sophisticated but intuitive search
interface.

EBSCOhost databases
A suite of EBSCOhost full text databases comprising:
o the popular nursing database CINAHL Plus with Full Text;
o MEDLINE with Full Text;
o Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection;
o Health Business Elite
o Australian & New Zealand Reference Centre.

ProQuest Health and Medical Complete database

 ProQuest Health and Medical Complete is a database of journals covering all clinical
and healthcare disciplines, including medical sciences, immunology, pharmacy,
nursing, and surgery with over 1200 of the journals being available in full text.

DynaMed
DynaMed is an evidence-based clinical reference tool created for use by doctors and
other health professionals for use primarily at the ‘point of care’. DynaMed provides
clinically-organised summaries for around 3,000 and can be accessed online at:
www.racgp.org.au/library/dynamed

A - Z Journal list
The library’s A - Z journal list includes live links to journal titles available through
online resources such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest and the Informit Health Collection.
Audio Digest downloads
Audio Digest produce monthly themed issues comprising a number of audio articles
which can be listened to directly via the website or downloaded to a PC or mp3 player
for playback at a convenient time.

eTOC (electronic Table Of Contents) service

One way of keeping abreast of the literature and on top of developments within
specific areas of interest is to regularly look over current table of contents of
journals.

ELIGIBILITY

Candidates should be:

• registered with the Australian Medical Council, have successfully completed the
Australian Medical Council MCQ examination, and be able to provide proof of this.

• able to prove they have passed the Occupational English Test (OET) for medical
practitioners or the International Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall B
grading for the OET, or a Band 6.5 with no score below 6 in the IELTS system, or
have been granted exemption as per the requirements set out by the AMC for
eligibility to sit the examination. When applying to sit the AMC Exam, please check
the AMC website as to the English language test requirement.

• If arriving from overseas, or not a permanent resident of Australia, we require a

photocopy of your immigration Visa that you have been granted. All immigration
Visas must be valid for the entire duration of the bridging program or we are unable
to accept your registration. Please note: We are unable to hold places for overseas
residents who have not been granted a visa or are awaiting a visa.

CLINICAL TRIAL EXAMINATION

Structured Clinical Assessment

Key components
• Simulated multi-station trial examination
• Standardised assessment of clinical skills
• Developed by expert medical educators experienced in the AMC
• Examination processes
• Practise in simulated examination conditions

The program is designed to engage the participant in a multi-station assessment that is

structured according to the AMC Structured Clinical Assessment examination process.
Clinical skills are assessed in the areas of physical examination, investigation, diagnosis,
management, therapeutics, counselling/patient education and procedures and are
critically assessed by our experienced medical educators. Feedback is provided following
the trial examination.

Key learning objectives

Stations utilise actual or role playing patients. Stations assess clinical skills in the
following areas:
• Participant’s approach to the patient, physical examination technique and
communications skills
• Participant’s skills, thoroughness and orderliness in eliciting physical signs
• Interpretation of signs and investigations to arrive at a diagnosis and management
plan
• Appropriateness of management plan and of any additional investigations

These are similar to the structured clinical assessment examination assessment

objectives.

Program Advantages

Even well prepared examination candidates will benefit from a trial examination.
Simulated examination conditions help participants’ time management, improve
prioritisation of tasks and help reduce examination nerves. All participants are provided
with timely performance feedback. This provides opportunities for participants to
improve their examination performance. Courses have been developed by experienced
medical educators who have examiner experience and are themselves, overseas-trained
doctors.

Eligibility
Candidates should be registered to sit the Australian Medical Council exam and have
passed the MCQ examination.

Course fee: $5,995 Financial assistance through paying by instalments can be

arranged.

For further information on our bridging courses …

call RACGP (1800 284 732)
email gpeducation@racgp.org.au
visit http://www.racgp.org.au/education/courses/amc/