21st. September 2015

21 September 2015.

10	Critique of Menozac website
11	Basic “blurbs” to write and practise. Setting the scene for breaking bad news, general pre-pregnancy counselling, recessive inheritance, x-linked inheritance etc.
12	Critique RCOG Patient Information Leaflet. Genital Herpes.
13	Roleplay. PMB.
14	Roleplay. Fibroids. UAE.

10.      Critique of Menozac website.

           The supplied document was extracted from the Menozac website a few years ago and is a good example of the genre. You would have 15 minutes to prepare your critique and then face a viva with an examiner. A variant on the theme would be a role-play with a patient who has brought the extract and wishes to discuss it. Critique is not just the bad points – it means overall analysis.

11.      Basic “blurbs”.

           You do not want to try to explain X-linked recessive inheritance for the first time in the exam! Make a list of things that you are likely to be asked and start preparing. Pre-pregnancy counselling is another good example. It comes up in lots of stations and there are probably 2 marks – easy marks if you have practised.

12.      Critique RCOG Patient Information Leaflet. Genital Herpes.

           You can download this from the RCOG website.

           https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/pi-genital-herpes-and-pregnancy1.pdf.

           The RCOG’s patient information leaflets used to be appalling! They were like mini-textbooks and totally unfit for purpose. This made them very easy to criticise. They are now very good. You need to have some idea about technique otherwise you may have very little to say to the examiner.

13.      Roleplay. Postmenopausal bleeding.

Candidate’s Instructions.

You are a SpR in the “one-stop” PMB clinic. You are about to see a woman with bleeding some years since her menopause.

A 55 year old woman is referred by her General Practitioner.

Your task is to take an appropriate history and advise her about the investigations you feel are appropriate.

Referral letter from the General Practitioner.

Manor Lodge,

High Street,

Bestown.

BE5 S00

Re: Mrs. Mary Smith,   Age 55.

5b High Street,

Bestown.

BE5 SO1

Dear Doctor,

Please see Mrs. Smith who has had bleeding down below. It is a number of years since she reached the menopause.

Yours sincerely,

James Fewords, General Practitioner.

14.      Roleplay. Fibroids. UAE.

           Candidate’s instructions.

You are the Consultant in the gynaecology clinic. You are about to see Beth White.

Your instructions are to take the history, advise about appropriate investigations and management and to discuss her concerns.

GP referral letter.

The Medical Centre,

Anytown,

Shropshire.

Re: Mrs. Beth White,

22 Main Street,

Anytown.

Dear Doctor,

Please see Mrs. White who complains of heavy periods. She is 35 years old and a teacher – a very good one, I must say, as she taught my younger daughter last year.  She has read an article about UAE. I thought this was a country in the Middle East, but she informed me that it is a treatment for heavy periods that involves blocking the uterine arteries. I would have thought that this would cause uterine gangrene, but she assures me it is for real, so it sounds like a good option. Whatever will they think of next?

Please see and advise.

Dr. I. G.N. O’Ramus.