Pass the PSA E-Book

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You will be asked to make a drug dosage calculation; the question will contain all relevant numerical data as well as distracting data that you will not need. You will be given the units. As the scope of testing for this section can be quite broad, knowledge of some common scenarios will be very helpful:

There is an element of judgement of which is most important, if several pieces of information are accurate. If the assessment is formative, candidates who do not pass the PSA will be given two further opportunities during FY1 to pass the assessment to be awarded the Foundation Year 1 Certificate of Completion (F1CC). Non-UK medical students applying to the foundation programme will be expected to take the PSA within their foundation school doing their FY1. The Pass Centre will be closed at 12.00 noon on the eve of the New Year, Lunar New Year and Christmas Day. You have used the treatment summaries for the medical management of common conditions (e.g. Asthma) You will be provided with a clinical scenario and some investigation results and tasked with determining the most appropriate course of action forward with regard to prescribing. (e.g withdrawing a medication, reducing its dose, no change, increasing its dose or switching to a new medication).Our advanced question bank platform allows you to filter PSA questions based on specialty and PSA question format. The maximum dose of paracetamol is 1g QDS – common dosing errors will include 1g 4hrly or co-prescription of paracetamol and co-codamol. Learn the common and serious side-effects and monitoring requirements for: ACEi, antidepressants, anticoagulants, bisphosphonates, HRT, insulin, methotrexate, and statins. Know how to prescribe gentamicin and how to use the gentamicin chart to determine next prescription timing

You will be given a clinical scenario and investigation results. You will be expected to determine the most appropriate next step in management (which may be no change at all). Be aware that abnormal test results don’t always alter the management plan – for example, serum transaminases can be raised by up to 3x the upper limit of normal before statins should be discontinued. [Ref: https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug-class/statins.html]As well as offering the potential for improving health, it is an activity associated with potential hazards: a GMC-sponsored study found that 9% of hospital prescriptions contain errors ( 'An in depth investigation into causes of prescribing errors by foundation trainees in relation to their medical education - EQUIP study'). It is also apparent in other research that this is the area of the Foundation Doctor role that new graduates find the most challenging ( The state of medical education and practice in the UK report: 2014 and Be prepared: are new doctors safe to practice?). As a result, in Outcomes for graduates(originally published in Tomorrow's Doctors), the GMC defined prescribing competencies required of new medical school graduates.

The treatment is often tailored to individual patients and depends can potentially depend on factors such as gender (e.g duration of UTI treatment for men is 7 days), drug history and allergies. Enzyme inhibitors: AO DEVICES – allopurinol, omeprazole, disulfiram, erythromycin, valproate, isoniazid, ciprofloxacin, ethanol (acute intoxication), sulphonamides. Others: grapefruit juice, amiodarone, and SSRIs (fluoxetine, sertraline).Sp aced repetition is a technique for improving the retention of information . It works by spacing out the intervals between review sessions . This spacing allows you to consolidate the information making it more likely you will recall it during the prescribing safety assessment. You will be asked to choose an appropriate drug or intravenous fluid with its corresponding dose, route, and frequency. The PSA is undertaken by medical students in the early spring of their final year. It is an online exam that lasts for two hours and comprises 60 questions across eight-question formats. The total number of marks available is 200. Each medical school is allowed to choose whether or not they interpret the PSA as a summative assessment towards their medical degree. This section comprises 40% of the available marks. You will be given a clinical scenario and asked to prescribe one drug/ fluid.