BOOK OVERVIEW
Neurosurgery: The Essential Guide to the Oral and Clinical Neurosurgical Examination provides a concise, logical and practical guidebook of core knowledge and principles for the neurosurgical clinical examination. Because you have passed the written neurosurgical examination, you have demonstrated that you have the required knowledge. Now, your written knowledge must be translated into an oral format in a safe, organized and non-intimidating manner. The main purpose of this examination is to ensure that you are a safe and competent neurosurgeon. The viva examination ensures that the candidate understands the essential knowledge, rather than having detailed knowledge of selected topics. Success is seen once you place yourself in the examiner’s shoes. During the examination, there should be a variety of topics discussed within an allocated time period. It cannot be overemphasized that you should tailor your answers to the allocated time. For example, if the time allocated is 10 minutes to cover three topics, your answer for each topic should be 3 minutes in duration and include the salient points. Therefore, for each topic, a minimum of three key points should be presented. During your final preparation, ensure that you have memorized the key points for the topics mentioned in the syllabus, rather than reading new material.
This book is designed to guide candidates preparing for the International and Intercollegiate FRCS Specialty Examination in Neurosurgery. It will also help prepare for the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) and other neurosurgical examinations around the world. The Intercollegiate FRCS (Section II) examination is the clinical component of the examination and consists of a series of carefully designed and structured interviews on clinical topics. The examination syllabus, format and content are common to The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Royal College of Surgeons of England, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. This examination is designed and set by the Royal Colleges to assess the knowledge, skills and attributes acquired during neurosurgical training. The Section II examination is 2 hours and 30 minutes long and is taken over two days. On the first day, the examination comprises long and short cases. The long cases test the candidate’s structured and logical approach to history taking and clinical examination. In addition, the candidate needs to formulate a list of differential diagnoses, interpret the appropriate investigations, and provide a clear management plan. The short cases test the candidate’s clinical knowledge, diagnostic acumen, investigation and interpretation, and treatment options. Overall, the themes of history taking, breaking bad news, professionalism, and medical ethics are assessed while the candidate demonstrates clear reasoning and judgement. The viva is held on the second day and is divided into the following sections: operative surgery and surgical anatomy; investigation of the neurosurgical patient including neuroradiology; and non-operative clinical practice and neurosurgery. We have written this book in conjunction with the Aberdeen FRCS (SN) viva courses, which help trainees identify high-yield topics for the neurosurgical examination, target the candidate’s strengths and identify areas of potential weakness.