Change

Had a brief chat with MN - the chief local examiner - on the upcoming change in the format of MRCP examination.

As organizers and host centers, our attention were of course directed to the difficulty in recruiting English-speaking patients with suitable physical signs. As an experienced on-looker, it seems a pity to see how a respectable examination disintegrated rapidly in less than 20 years.

The new move of the college is to put more emphasis on an integrated skill of history taking and physical examination for endocrine and rheumatology cases. I asked MN, "How about fundi cases, which usually do not have much history in it ?"

The senior consultant said with some hesitancy, "They would probably no longer appear in the examination."

He may be right. Many of our younger generation doctors do not know how to use an ophthalmoscope, and fundi examination is often left to specialist.

Well, you may say my feeling is merely deja vu of those Song (宋) and Qing (清) emperors, who saw their kingdoms melt away after giving out piece by piece to some barbarians.

PS. Towards the end of the day, the chief external examiner asked if I had passed my MRCP. I took that as a compliment on my lack of grey hair. Nonetheless, I must say the glory of passing this trying examination dimmed down a lot since the system changed at the turn of the millennium.