Three years running the MRCS

Abstract

Three years as Chairman of the Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) have passed quickly. I have often reflected on the purpose of the Membership of Royal College Surgeons (MRCS) exam, which has been to develop and oversee the intercollegiate surgical membership examination for assessing the standards of junior trainees during and at the end point of: (1) basic surgical training (until August 2007 in the UK and for an indefinite period in Ireland and overseas) and (2) core surgical training (from August 2007 in the UK); and also (3) to develop and oversee the Diploma of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (DO–HNS) examination. The work of the ICBSE has been to maintain the quality and standard of the MRCS examinations and to deliver incremental quality improvements to satisfy the various stakeholders. It has been quite a challenge.