PACES marks

I've picked a brilliant week to take my annual leave. The weather is great, the sky is clear and the sun is shining. It's difficult to believe I'm in Scotland. The Jesus and Mary Chain wrote 'April Skies' about this place.

Anyhow, the point of my post. My formal letter from the Royal College of Physicians arrived to tell me that I have passed PACES and gained the MRCP. Really.

My final score was 47 out of 56 while the pass mark was 41. When I look at the breakdown of marks there was a real degree of difference between the markers. Clinical exams are subjective and you always get 'hawks' who mark harshly, 'doves' who mark generously and 'smiling assassins' who are nice to you while they stab you in the back.

I guess my mark represents a fair pass although I am not sure that I deserved to pass. I felt that the cases were too easy. I made some big mistakes in the exam although I guess I was able to compensate for those mistakes in other areas. I enjoyed the exam experience and I had good fun on the day. I always thought that post-graduate exams in medicine were something to be feared and should really challange a candidate. To be honest, I had more challenging exams at medical school which I felt pushed me more. I have probably learned a lot since medical school and grown as a doctor. It is hard to appreciate such growth when you are busy working all the time.

I enjoy teaching. I always have. Teaching medical students or junior doctors is one of the best bits of the job. I guess that I have high expectations as a teacher. I ask difficult questions and I always try to push students. I guess I always come across as a 'hawk' but I do enjoy it. I always feel that I have learned more when my teachers have pushed me and shown an interest in me as opposed to when they have been disinterested. I hope I get more time to teach in the future.

My marksheet was accompanied by booklets from the various Royal Colleges advertising the benefits of joining (i.e paying a subscription every year). They own nice old buildings in Edinburgh, London and Glasgow and often offer educational meetings and accomodation. My main motivation for joining is to sit on a leather sofa and smoke cigars whilst pretending to be Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. It's all very 'stonecutters'.