15 March 2022
The Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) exam is the final clinical exam trainee psychiatrists must pass to gain membership of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) and to pursue a career as a consultant psychiatrist.
The exam takes place twice a year and comprises of 16 short clinical test interviews across the whole range of psychiatric practice. On average, around 55% of individuals taking the national UK exam pass in any one sitting.
TEWV’s medical education faculty developed an online training programme to support our trainees ahead of the difficult and challenging exam. ‘The CASC Club’ offers free coaching through tailored training sessions, including over 30 virtual test clinical scenarios, two months prior to each exam.
The club, now in its successful second year, welcomes psychiatry trainees from across the north east and York. Participants also included individuals from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, who also passed the exam alongside our trust trainees.
Dr Jim Boylan, consultant in medical education and guardian of safe working, said: “This is a real testament to the continuing collective hard work of the faculty. Many of these individuals sat this exam for the first time and we’d like to say congratulations to all of them and our very best wishes for their future careers in psychiatry.”
