The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom is delighted to confirm that it will open its first MRCP(UK) PACES examination centre in Pakistan later in 2020. This decision follows the successful running of a full mock PACES at the PAK-Emirates Hospital in Rawalpindi on 7 & 8 February 2020. PACES is the largest international clinical examination for postgraduate doctors in the world and will provide doctors from Pakistan the opportunity to take this high-quality examination in their own country for the first time.
Professor Derek Bell FRCPE, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said:
Our College has undertaken several visits to Pakistan in recent years and we are delighted that we’re now able to deliver PACES there. It is testament to the hard work of all those involved, particularly our partners and Fellows in Pakistan. We want to support and enhance the education and training of doctors in Pakistan and right across the world. The introduction of a PACES examination centre in Pakistan is an important milestone, as doctors in Pakistan will now be able to sit PACES there rather than travel to the UK or other international locations. We look forward to developing even further our ties and relationship with Pakistan.
Professor Jackie Taylor, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow said:
We are pleased that doctors in Pakistan and the wider region will now have the opportunity to sit the PACES exam in the country. Our College has had strong links with the Pakistani medical community over many decades, and so we’re delighted that the Federation has been able to build on these relationships in this way. We look forward to working in partnership with the Federation and our candidates to promote the highest standards of medical practice through assessment and continuing professional development.
Professor Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians of London and Chair of the Federation said:
As part of our commitment to improving patient care by ensuring high standards of education and training, I’m delighted that we’re now able to offer our world-leading clinical examination PACES to doctors in Pakistan. The PAK-Emirates Military Hospital in Rawalpindi becomes the newest of more than 20 centres outside the UK providing this exam. This will increase the numbers of doctors and patients who will benefit from this rigorous examination of doctors’ skills and knowledge. I would also like to thank our local partners for their dedication and enthusiasm for bringing the PACES exam to Pakistan, without them it wouldn’t have been possible.
The first PACES examination will take place over three days in November 2020 at the PAK-Emirates Military Hospital and will be run using the new PACES 2020 carousel. Full details on the application process for candidates and the number of places available will be announced shortly on the MRCP(UK) website.
Professor Aamir Ghafoor Khan FRCPE, Federation Lead Examiner in Pakistan and Head of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar:
This has been a 15-year long journey to establish a PACES centre in Pakistan but I am delighted that, after a highly successful mock examinations and Pathfinder, the Federation has taken this positive decision to bring its highly respected clinical examination to the country.
Dr Donald Farquhar, Federation International Medical Director for Assessment:
The February event went extremely smoothly with great efficiency and professionalism demonstrated by the local examination team. Congratulations are due to all who supported the mock examination and the surrounding arrangements.
About MRCP(UK) and the PACES examination
MRCP(UK) examinations are now offered in more than 100 locations around the world and over 25,000 doctors take the examinations each year. More than half of these are international candidates. We believe that postgraduate medical training must take a holistic approach, to include teaching, supervision and assessment all defined in comprehensive curricula. Our examinations are respected worldwide as benchmarks of medical knowledge and clinical skills.
The MRCP(UK) Part 2 Clinical Examination (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills - PACES) is designed to test the clinical knowledge and skills of trainee doctors. The exam sets rigorous standards to ensure that trainees are competent across a range of skills and ready to provide a high standard of care to patients. Read more.
About the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK
The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, based in the UK and with international reach, is a collaboration between the:
Collectively, the colleges represent more than 50,000 physicians worldwide. For physicians in the UK and globally, the colleges provide an invaluable professional network, opportunities to share best practice and ongoing educational opportunities. One of the foremost aims of Federation in its international activities is to support the education, training and assessment of local doctors, for the benefit of their patients.
The Federation develops and delivers services to support doctors at every stage of their careers, including:
