Preparing for the FRCPath Part 1 Exam
in Medical Microbiology and Virology
An IMG’s Perspective by Dr Chidi Onwukwe
I decided to sit for the FRCPath part 1 in MMV sometime in 2018. I didn’t have a timeframe to work with as it was basically a loose decision made in a rare moment of inspiration. The first window of opportunity came in November/December 2018 in the shape of a program developed by the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath). This program, known as the International Trainee Support Scheme (ITSS), is an online program that supports IMGs attempting the FRCPath exams by matching them with enthusiastic UK-trained specialists who serve as educational supervisors/mentors. I enrolled for the ITSS and got matched with a very knowledgeable and motivated supervisor who laid the groundwork for my eventual success. I strongly recommend this scheme.
My preparations kicked off in earnest by August 2019, with the spring 2020 exams in mind, meaning I had just under eight months to prepare. First, I performed an honest self-appraisal to gauge the level of my microbiology knowledge, after which I concluded that I needed to reacquaint myself with the basics. For this task, I chose a textbook on basic microbiology. In my case, this was Jawetz Medical Microbiology textbook, with occasional envious glances at Murray Medical Microbiology textbook, which I think is a very well-written book. Over a period of 3 months, while putting in 2 to 3 hours a day, I covered all the sections in the textbook except for parasitology which I understood was usually underrepresented in the main examination. At this point, I was fairly confident that I could answer basic microbiology questions. This was a critical step, in my opinion.
The next step was studying the Oxford Handbook of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. This pocketbook is widely considered essential by the FRCPath microbiology/ID community, and for a good reason. It compresses an incredible amount of information into its deceptively small frame and incorporates the UK guidelines and recommendations into its discussions on the treatment and management of diseases. While this pocketbook was really helpful, especially in antibiotics and infection prevention and control, I didn’t get to finish it as I skipped a number of chapters on clinical syndromes. Thankfully, I was not punished.
I spent the final three months before the spring 2020 date (March 23) reading various guidelines. The sheer amount of guidelines to be read was simply ridiculous, and I quickly realized that three months weren’t going to be enough. The guidelines included The Green Book guidelines on vaccines, BASHH guidelines on STIs, BHIVA guidelines on HIV, NICE prescribing guidelines, NICE infection guidelines and other virology guidelines. The UK SMIs were a good source of knowledge aimed at the identification of organisms, and the PHE A-Z of Infectious Diseases was a behemoth, and I almost got lost in there. It had links to lead to links that lead to links – a labyrinth of ID information. I probed and prodded, but I never immersed myself fully. The HSE site contains most of the biosafety knowledge relevant to the exam, and I also used basic search tools to look up laboratory symbols and their meanings. EUCAST has excellent resources on antimicrobial resistance and susceptibility testing. As for mycology, the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) had guidelines on tinea capitis and onychomycosis.
Beyond that, I had to rely mostly on IDSA mycology guidelines. Some RCOG guidelines were also relevant such as the GBS guidelines.
The spring 2020 exams were deferred until autumn, and this gave me an extra six months to salvage the ‘lamb-being-led-to-the-slaughter’ situation in which I found myself. I consolidated the basics, read the guidelines over and over again to the point of tedium, added some extra study materials such as the underrated Microbiology Nuts and Bolts and the Learn Infection platform, a virtual study platform targeted at the FRCPath exams. The excellent Q/A book by Luke Moore, ‘Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Virology: A Q&A Approach for Specialist Medical Trainees’, was perfect for revision.
Autumn 2020 finally arrived, and with it, the novel online examination experience. It felt somewhat bizarre to be sitting for an exam of such magnitude from the comfort of my home. The online format makes the examination a lot more accessible for international medical graduates. It eliminates the inconveniences of a visa application and the considerable costs associated with travel and accommodation. Moreover, the online platform is intuitive and user friendly. Unbelievably, part 2 examinations have also been moved to the same online platform. There has never been a better time to attempt these beautiful exams!
Also, a bit of networking never hurt anyone. This website was one of the first-ever resources which I came across. In fact, I actually sent an email to Dr Joanna Lumb some years ago, and she graciously replied and offered some useful advice, so I consider it a high honour to write this article for this site. The Microregistrar Facebook group is thriving, so too it’s the WhatsApp group. Potential candidates would do well to join these groups and glean useful information and study materials.
As a footnote, I sat for Part 1 in Medical Microbiology and Virology. This exam is accessible to IMGs and clinical scientists. The Part in Infection is sat for by UK MM/MV/ID trainees. However, IMGs can also attempt this if they choose to. Do a bit of research and choose wisely.
Good luck to you all.
Summary of comments received on this post
Dr hadiqa
November 26, 2020 at 2:22 am
Excellent rewies about frcpath part one if i want some more information about exam would u plz help ?
Thanks for sharing nice and helpful informations. May God bless you.
Hello Dr Hadiqa. I’d be glad to answer an questions you might have.
REFATH FARZANA
Thanks Chidi for sharing your experience. Though I finished my MBBS and masters on Medical Microbiology from Bangladesh, at the moment I am based in UK (just completed my PhD) and planning to sit for FRCPath part I. I am naive about the process, but my assumption is that it would be really helpful to have guide from potential supervisor/mentor during the preparion of part I. Can you please let me know how can I enrol for a training programme (my subject should be Medical Microbiology and Virology as you) and can get a perfect supervisor match?
Hello Refath. With a masters degree, you already have a lot of relevant knowledge. An approach with plenty of emphasis on the UK guidelines should work for you. For mentorship, please check the home page for the link to the International Trainee Support Scheme.
JAYASHREE VEERASAMY
Kindly let me know the Facebook link and Whatsapp group number.
S.Nivedhana
Excellent info sir.Thanks a lot. Let me know the fb link and whatsapp group no.
SB
Post author
It is on the homepage of the website.
Dr. Asma osmani
can you guide me how to contact royal college team for frcpath part 1 microbiology.