Pass the PSA E-Book

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As well as offering the potential for improving health, it is an activity associated with potential hazards: a GMC-sponsored study found that 9% of hospital prescriptions contain errors ( 'An in depth investigation into causes of prescribing errors by foundation trainees in relation to their medical education - EQUIP study'). It is also apparent in other research that this is the area of the Foundation Doctor role that new graduates find the most challenging ( The state of medical education and practice in the UK report: 2014 and Be prepared: are new doctors safe to practice?). As a result, in Outcomes for graduates(originally published in Tomorrow's Doctors), the GMC defined prescribing competencies required of new medical school graduates. Typically, you will be provided with 5 pieces of information and tasked with selecting the most important option to provide to the patient. Examples of the medicines that might be the focus of discussion include insulin, warfarin, salbutamol inhaler, methotrexate, or an oral hypoglycaemic medication. Sp aced repetition is a technique for improving the retention of information . It works by spacing out the intervals between review sessions . This spacing allows you to consolidate the information making it more likely you will recall it during the prescribing safety assessment. There are 36 seconds per mark; if you are struggling to find an answer within a suitable time frame for the available marks, make a best guess (there is no negative marking) and move on. To apply for the PSA Temporary Pass /PSA Pass, please complete this application form and submit it together with the following documents: PSA Temporary Pass

You will be provided with a clinical scenario and some investigation results and tasked with determining the most appropriate course of action forward with regard to prescribing. (e.g withdrawing a medication, reducing its dose, no change, increasing its dose or switching to a new medication).

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It is important to elicit which one of these is being tested as different tests are often required. (e.g., weight is the best monitoring measure for the beneficial effects of furosemide in someone with fluid overload, however, to monitor for harmful effects – renal function) Each answer is composed of several variables (drug description (including form and strength), dose, route & frequency) and therefore, a correct answer can be expressed in a variety of ways, depending on the product selected. Due to the breadth of possible answers, some credit-worthy variations may not be included in a given mark scheme and recognised by the auto-scoring system. You will not be allowed to bring anything into the exam other than a calculator, pencil, pen and the paper version of the BNF. You will have online access to the BNF and NICE guidelines throughout the exam.

For Pass Application by post, applicants are required to come personally to PSA Pass Centre on the date of pass collection to have your fingerprint/Photo enrol onto the PSA Pass. Application of Temporary Pass is available online. Please visit the link here to access the iPass Portal.

Prepare for the PSA with Geeky Medics

Questions will cover Medicine, Surgery, General Practice, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Geriatrics.

Don’t make it too complicated. Remember, this exam is aimed at final year medical students and Foundation Year 1 doctors so the paper will not ask you to prescribe chemotherapy drugs or other specialist medications so don’t worry about learning those. A PSA pass is considered valid for two years. An FP 2022 applicant who has taken and passed the PSA before February 2021 will be required to take it again by their foundation school.

The BNF can be used at any point during the PSA examination. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that candidates are confident with using the BNF prior to the exam.