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SICOT e-Newsletter

Issue No. 41 - February 2012

Training & Education

My Experience of the SICOT Diploma Examination - Prague 2011

Praveen Sarda
SICOT member - Stockton on Tees, UK

I finished my Masters in Orthopaedics in India in 2003 and came to the United Kingdom in 2005 for more specialised training. Having been in practice for the last few years, I was increasingly feeling the urge to refresh my knowledge as many things had changed since I finished my post-graduation back home in India. This idea spurred me into reading afresh, and I decided to apply for the SICOT Diploma Examination to keep myself motivated. The SICOT Congress in Prague provided the perfect opportunity, since it was much closer to the United Kingdom compared to some other recent SICOT meetings. It would also give me an opportunity to interact and compete with the best trainees across the world.

I had heard that Prague was a beautiful city, and I was not disappointed when I arrived there! The city is a blend of old and new; despite being a bustling metro, it is remarkably clean. The best part was the efficient public transport system that took the stress out of travelling. I arrived the day before and comfortably settled into the hotel.

The exam itself was set on two successive days; the first day for the multiple choice questions and the second day for the Viva. The MCQ exam had 100 questions to be answered in two hours. As advised beforehand, most of the questions were based on the Orthopaedics Hyperguide Q-bank. I had prepared for it by going through the Hyperguide in previous months although it is a mammoth Q-Bank (nearly 4,000 questions!!), so it was practically impossible to remember it all. The questions were, however, mostly logical and based on the day-to-day practice of clinical pathology, basic sciences, trauma, paediatric orthopaedics, and elective orthopaedics.

The Viva part was also two hours long and we were divided into three groups. Mine was the last group in the evening. There were four slots of thirty minutes each: Adult Orthopaedics & Pathology, Trauma, Paediatrics & Hand, and Basic Sciences. There were two examiners on each table questioning for 15 minutes each. Most examiners used slides on a laptop as props to initiate discussion about the clinical condition and further management. The purpose of the exam is to test the breadth of knowledge, rather than the depth of individual topics. The examiners therefore quickly moved on to cover as much ground as possible. They were all very friendly and polite, and made the experience quite enjoyable for the candidates despite the obvious stress of an exam.

I had done quite well in the Viva and was confident of passing the exam but it was a very pleasant surprise when my name was announced as one of the two most successful candidates at the Closing Ceremony of the Congress. It was a pleasure to meet Prof Cody Bünger and senior examiners who all gave very positive feedback regarding our performance. Later on, I came to know that 23 out of 36 candidates had passed, which underlines the importance of smart preparation and the hard work needed to pass this diploma. After the Closing Ceremony, I had an opportunity to meet the large Indian contingent and we spent a very good time along with Dr Ashok Johari, who will be the President of the SICOT meeting in 2013 in India.

Myself with successful Indian candidates and Dr Ashok Johari, Prof Shishir Rastogi and Prof Anil K. Jain,
who are all well respected senior orthopaedic surgeons from India

I can only say that it has been a very rewarding experience for me, and I would encourage others to apply for this exam. For new trainees, it gives them an opportunity to test their knowledge in a very objective way and interact with examiners from different systems. For others, it provides excellent motivation to refresh their knowledge, which in turn helps to improve the day-to-day management of their patients. Of course, there is the added incentive of the prestigious German SICOT Fellowship for the two most successful candidates. I look forward to the fellowship later this year with great anticipation and will report back later on my experience there!