Primary FRCA
Primary FRCA Exam Teaching & Courses
Departmental Primary FRCA Teaching
This should be taking place in your local hospital (virtual or face to face). Primary FRCA teaching sessions are coordinated in each hospital by the consultants below, please contact them if further details are required:
-ABUHB, Wednesday mornings. Sessions are a mixture of virtual and face to face at the Royal Gwent Hospital. Contact is Dr Dan Helme, Daniel.Helme2@wales.nhs.uk
-Swansea Bay, Wednesday mornings. Sessions are face to face at Morriston Hospital. Contact is Dr Tim Green, Timothy.Green2@wales.nhs.uk
-Wrexham Maelor, Wednesday afternoons. Contact is Dr Ruth Viles. Ruth.Viles@wales.nhs.uk
-Ysbyty Gwynedd, Wednesday afternoons. Contact is Dr Emyr Huws. Emyr.Huws2@wales.nhs.uk
-Ysbyty Glan Clywd, Rhyl. Contact is Dr Nia Williams. Nia.Williams2@wales.nhs.uk
For further information about the Primary FRCA, please see this presentation by Dr Haitem Maghur.
The primary FRCA exam webinar by Dr Haitem Maghur
All Wales Anaesthetics Basic Sciences (AWABS)
AWABS is a regional teaching programme and is currently organised by Dr Mark Burtonwood (Consultant Anaesthetist Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend). The programme has returned to a face to face/hybrid format. In-person attendance is encouraged and an MS teams webinar link will be available for those unable to attend in person. The full programme of dates can be found here. Dates and organising hospital are shown below. More details about the AWABS programme can be found here.
- 28th November 2023 - UHW, Cardiff
Some AWABs lecture content is archived as video lectures below:
Physiology
- Thyroid gland, April 2022
- Neuromuscular junction, muscle types & contraction, March 2022
- Myopathies, March 2022
- Capillary dynamics & interstitial fluid, March 2022
- Cardiac physiology, March 2022
- Allergies & anaphylaxis, March 2022
- Adrenal gland & hormones, March 2022
- Pituatary gland, February 2022
- Frailty, February 2022
- Autonomic nervous system, February 2022
- Blood physiology, January 2022
- Cardio-respiratory acclimatisation to altitude by Dr Nick Mason, December 2021
- Blood components & cell salvage, November 2021
- Glucose control & diabetes, November 2021
- Liver physiology, November 2021
- Cell membranes, receptors & ion channels, October 2021
- Gut physiology by Dr John Harris, September 2021
- Mechanical ventilation by Dr Kalman, July 2021
- Physiology of pregnancy, July 2021
- Obesity by Dr Fitzgerald, June 2021
- Respiratory mechanics by Dr Nick Mason, May 2021
- Nerve physiology by Dr Gordon Leslie, May 2021
- Capillary dynamics and interstitial fluids by Dr Tony Funnell, April 2021
- Muscle physiology by Dr Paul Carter, April 2021
- Pain pathways and pain pathophysiology
- Neurophysiology
- The cardiac cycle
Physics
- Patient monitoring, April 2022
- Breathing systems in anaesthesia, March 2022
- Physics of ultrasound, March 2022
- Gas supply, cylinders & measuring contents of cylinders, March 2022
- Arterial lines, resonance & damping, February 2022
- Humidity & Humidification, January 2022
- Heat & Thermodynamics, January 2022
- MRI, January 2022
- Flow, November 2021
- Clinical measurement, October 2021
- Vaporisers & inhalational anaesthetic agents by Dr Gopinath Selvaraj, October 2021
- Electricity, capacitance & defibrillators by Dr Dylan John, October 2021
- Respiratory gas analysis by Dr Matt Short, June 2021
- Electricity & Magnetism by Dr Lewys Richmond, June 2021
- Blood pressure and cardiac output measurement by Dr Max Kamath, June 2021
- Inductors, capacitors & transformers by Dr Cat Griffiths, May 2021
- Interference
- Laser & anaesthesia
- Inductors, capacitors & transformers
Pharmacology
- Pharmacokinetics, January 2022
- Analgesics & Anaesthetics - Basic chemistry, numbers and how these relate to clinical effect, January 2022
- Drug-Receptor interactions, December 2021
- Nutrition, Metabolism and Kreb's Cycle, December 2021
- Opioid & non-opioid analgesics, November 2021
- Intravenous anaesthetic agents, November 2021
- Local anaesthetics by Dr Anna Williams, September 2021
- Antimicrobials, drugs that effect the eye and social drugs by Dr Tom Bird, July 2021
- CVS drugs by Dr Tom lawson, June 2021
- Anticoagulants and antiplatelets by Dr Val Hilton, June 2021
- Analgesics by Dr Sunil Dasari, May 2021
- Mechanisms of drug action
Anatomy
Anaesthetic Equipment & Safety
Miscellaneous
MCQs & SBAs
SWAC - Primary FRCA Anaesthetic Course
This course is held 3 times each year, just prior to the Primary SOE/OSCE sitting. This is a face to face course which provides the chance to practice SOE and OSCE questions with Consultant Anaesthetists. Candidates will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and feedback. Doctors attending SWAC should have achieved their written exam by the course date and be imminently preparing for the OSCE/SOE. Priority will be given to candidates who are registered to attend the exam sitting immediately following the course.
The next South Wales course will be held on 11th Jan 2024 at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport. For further information please contact Dr Chris Whitfield at swac@doctors.net.uk. You will find the booking link below; places are booked on first come first serve basis therefore book early to avoid later disappointment. The fee for the course (one or both parts) is £60.
BOOKING LINK FOR SWAC PRIMARY FRCA
NWAC - North Wales Primary FRCA Anaesthetic Course
The North Wales Primary VIVA & OSCE day will be held at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on 12th January 2024. This is a face to face course, organised by Dr Claire Halligan and is £50 for the day. If you would like more information or book a place, please email claire.halligan2@wales.nhs.uk.
Cardiff Q
This is a course aimed at trainees who are pre-primary. The course serves as an introduction to the Primary FRCA, what to expect and how to best prepare for it.
The course will include:
• Focus on exam technique and revision strategy
• SBA paper and discussion of answers
• Tricky Topics - breakdown of difficult concepts
Teaching by, and opportunity to chat with recent successful applicants of Primary FRCA. Lunch and light refreshments included.
The most recent course was held on 21st April 2023. Details of the next course and how to sign up will be advertised here in due course.
Developed in collaboration with, and supported by, the Wales Deanery