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. If you are wishing to attend teaching outside of your health board, you will need to contact the relevant consultant in advance and agree this with them.
-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
AWABS is a School-wide teaching programme for the Primary FRCA. It is organised nationally by Dr Emily Gott (South Wales) and Dr Bryn Ellis (North Wales). The programme is being changed for the 2024/25 academic year following trainee and trainer feedback and will now run as a face to face only format. Each day across the academic year will be run by a different health board, with 4 days in South Wales and 3 days in North Wales. Morning sessions will consist of seminars on difficult topics and the afternoon will be an OSCE-based format to aid exam preparation.
The remaining dates confirmed for AWABs for the 2024/25 academic year are:
Friday 7th March 2025 - MPEC, Bridgend
Wednesday 26th March 2025 – Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Rhyl
Wednesday 7th May 2025 - Wrexham Maelor Medical Institute.
Cardiff & Vale - May 2025, tbc.
Booking links and programmes will circulate nearer the time for all dates.
AWABs lecture content is archived as video lectures below:
Physiology
Physics
Pharmacology
Anatomy
Anaesthetic Equipment & Safety
Miscellaneous
MCQs & SBAs
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. Further details on place allocation are available via the booking link below. The cost is a £60 flat rate for the day (OSCE/SOE or both).
The next South Wales course will be held in Autumn 2025. This course is a dress rehearsal for the exam and so is aimed at candidates imminently sitting the exam. Places usually go very quickly and are limited so please book early to ensure you don't miss out.
Next course date TBC.
For further information or book a place, please email BCU.NWAC@wales.nhs.uk
This is a FREE 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:
Overview of the RCoA Primary (MCQ, SOE, Viva)
Focus on exam technique and revision strategy for MCQ exam
Example SBAs and discussion of answers
Tricky Topics - breakdown of difficult concepts
Advice on revision technique and resources
Primary FRCA Basic Science Revision Guides
These revision guides contain the Basic Sciences content for the Primary FRCA.
