| Mr
Behdad Shambayati
spoke to the TVCS at Wexham Park Hospital on 29th October 2002, about
the Advanced Practitioner examination. His talk described the job
profile; the qualifications and experience pre-requisites; and the
requirement for continuing competence. The advanced practitioner,
after official appointment, is the only grade of non-medical staff
permitted to report on abnormal smears.
The exam
in advanced practice includes:
Multiple
Choice Questions.
Twenty multiple choice questions in 15 minutes. All questions must
be answered. There is one correct response from five options, and
no negative marking. This component is difficult to study for but
it does test general knowledge.
Short answer
written paper.
Four out of five questions must be answered in 60 minutes. A 'short'
answer entails about one side of A4, and is marked within three
grades - unsatisfactory; pass; good pass. One should pay special
attention to answering the question (look at keywords); facts (avoiding
personal opinion); timing, and the use of good English.
Screening.
There are twelve slides to screen in 90 minutes. With 7.5 minutes
to screen and complete the answer sheet, it needs good time management.
Missing one 'positive' will not automatically fail the candidate.
Cases.
There are eight cases, with a variable number of slides. This section
requires the candidate to screen, interpret findings, designate
patient management, and discuss the cases within two hours. Behdad's
advice was to attend to the clinical details - which are quite long
- to answer the question, and to 'think clinically'. If the judgment
is difficult give a differential diagnosis and state why.
Behdad concluded
that the advanced practitioner exam is a test in time management,
knowledge and cytological skills.
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