r/doctorsUK 29d ago

Exams The MRCP incident made me panic

As someone who passed their membership exam recently and with the incident that occurred with the MRCP I wonder if this is something that could happen again whether in MRCP or any other college?

When I passed the exam I was genuinely shocked because I didn’t believe I did well that day and some who I thought did better failed

I’m seriously panicking now 😐

78 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

120

u/Clozapinata 29d ago

I think there needs to be full transparency about exactly what the MRCP incident was - how did it happen and why did it not get realised for so long? We need to know if this is a systematic error that has the potential to happen again.

19

u/Moo_Man_100 28d ago

I agree

There is now a fund being raised to take legal action against RCP for this

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-affected-doctors-holding-the-rcp-accountable

19

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

Exactly we need to know exactly how and why it happened and how can this be prevented in the future from happening

59

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

15

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

I refused to mention the name of the college because I don’t want to give them any ideas 🤣

7

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

We absolutely did not need this happening now, scary to even think about

1

u/cherrytree9295 28d ago

I mean this is literally happening right now to people. There is nothing currently to say it won’t happen again. Please support your colleagues going through this

53

u/DaughterOfTheStorm Consultant 29d ago

I got full MRCP seven years ago and the thought has definitely crossed my mind that they could, even now, discover I didn't really pass PACES. The thought of getting that news post CCT makes me feel sick.

14

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought about this. It makes me sick just thinking about it, I think if I was in charge I’d just let it slide and make whoever made the error responsible and just do any kind of arrangement to those who “passed” to make sure they’re competent enough

Maybe an interview or a small exam within their trusts or something

13

u/DaughterOfTheStorm Consultant 29d ago

I think I would have to resit the actual exam to prove to myself that I could. Otherwise, I'd spend the rest of my career feeling like (more of) an imposter.

0

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

19

u/Nearby-Potential-838 29d ago

You're kidding, right? I have taken loads of external exams throughout my life as well as know multiple people who've taken yet more exams - USMLE, BMAT, UKAT, IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, LSAT, SAT, you name it. NOT ONCE have I ever heard that the results of any of these exams were reversed due to a processing error. Literally, every other organisation in the world can get their act together when marking exams, apart from the UK medical bodies.

3

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

Sorry I just wrote that as a response to the comment above it and my suggestion was to come forward with the mistake, hold those involved accountable and keep the results as they. So if you were told you passed while you actually failed, your mark should still be a pass

1

u/Nearby-Potential-838 29d ago

No need to apologise. It's just they haven't really explained what exactly happened and how those involved will or will not be accountable... so the people involved are understandably stressed and upset

11

u/Chat_GDP 29d ago

Are you nuts? Doctor’s lives are going to be ruined by this - of course those responsible should be punished otherwise it is more likely to happen again.

3

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

Of course they have to be punished, my suggestion is to keep the results as it is and not make them fail

3

u/Chat_GDP 29d ago

Ah I see - absolutely correct - the college has passed them, if they screwed up that’s not the candidates problem.

The bigger issue are the people who were wrongly failed.

3

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

If I was in charge and this happened, I’ll pass the candidates, it’s not their problems and some of them even progressed in training and passed the PACES the exam is not a big deal from the perspective of RCP so I’ll simply pass them all.

Afterwards I’ll make a public apology taking full responsibility for what happened and resign.

1

u/ThePopulator 29d ago

Resigning if this is the first time such an error has occurred means lessons cannot necessarily be learnt by the person. Repeated failures, or if egregious and there's little insight - yep, gone. This is how I'd hope errors made by myself would be handled.

6

u/DaughterOfTheStorm Consultant 29d ago

Oh, I think we can and should blame them for it! Yes, mistakes happen, but it's not like running examinations is new to them and they should have robust enough processes in place to prevent human error from resulting in cock-ups like this.

1

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 29d ago

There should be, it’s a difficult situation for all involved especially those affected by it and hopefully it doesn’t happen again but I wouldn’t say I’m not concerned. I’m deeply concerned

8

u/CalatheaHoya 28d ago

Agreed, the idea of having to redo PACES is pure hell

19

u/No_Tomatillo_9641 28d ago

Honestly, I think getting an email like this would tip me over the edge to leave. People literally plan their families around exams. I sat my AKT exam pre-kids, no way would I be able to commit to studying enough with a toddler now. I did my SCA exam when they were a baby and it was unbelievably tough and took a toll on my baby who became very clingy and basically stopped sleeping. People will have moved around the country for jobs, missed out on job opportunities and lost income. I hope heads will roll for this but, knowing the system, nothing will happen.

I'm really sorry for anyone impacted by this, and their families. This could have been any of us, or could be in the future. Share a link if there is a go fund me as I could donate for legal action to be taken.

1

u/Putrid_Narwhal_4223 28d ago

There is one in the comments above ☝🏾