Understand the case stem, each piece of information is important
- patient age, sex, ethnic background
- new patient to your clinic versus a usual patient
- country versus metropolitan setting
- routine review versus urgent appointment
There will be cases you can expect
The KFP exam will feature a number of serious not to be missed diagnoses in order to examine that you are a safe and competent independent GP.
The KFP exam will also examine the BIG topics ie. diabetes, hypertension, dermatology that as a GP you need to understand in depth.The KFP exam will also feature at least 2 ATSI questions as this is a government requirement.
You need to know the ‘common qualifiers’
- most important = most serious = not to be missed
- most likely = common diagnosis
- initial = first step = first line
- immediate = urgent
- definitive = conclusive
- further = in addition to
- long term = weeks or months or years
How you answer is important
- More than one answer on one line OR more than one example on one line will result in overcoding and a penalty applied
- A harmful or negligent answer will result in zero marks for that question
- Avoid abbreviations
- Use medical terminology not lay terms as the examiners are all FRACGP
You need to know the format of the answer
- diagnosis versus cause
- drug name versus drug class
- examination versus investigation
- pharmacological management versus lifestyle managementimmediate management versus long term management
Did you get a history question?
- Read the stem
- Do not repeat information
- Be as concise and specific as possible
- One answer, one line
- Compare these answers: family history of first degree relative under 40 with breast cancer versus family history
- Compare these answers: haematuria versus urinary symptoms
Did you get an examination question?
- Be concise and specific
- Example: Blood pressure over 140/90
- Example: Temperature over 38
- Example: Hepatomegaly
- Example: K10 score >21
Did you get an investigation question?
- It will likely be either a choice from a list or an investigation interpretation (such as ecg, imaging, spirometry)
- Be as specific and accurate as possible
Did you get a management question?
- Understand what is being asked
- There is often a qualifier, such as asking for non pharmacological management
- Pharmacological – drug class
- Pharmacological – drug specific include dose/modality/frequency/duration
- Pharmacological – treatment side effects
- Be specific if making a referral to specialist or hospital
- Be specific if listing long term or preventative management
