Specialty Certificate Examination in Nephrology

The Specialty Certificate Examination in Nephrology is delivered once a year.

Eligibility requirements

There are no entry requirements for the SCE in Nephrology, although candidates in UK training posts would usually take the SCE in Nephrology during higher specialty training after entering ST3. It is, however, recommended that candidates should have completed at least one year of Nephrology specialist training before attempting it.

Resources for trainees

Sample questions

The questions are in ‘best of five’ multiple choice format. This format, in addition to testing core knowledge and comprehension, also assesses the ability to interpret information and to solve clinical problems. There will be five options - one correct answer and four alternatives to the correct answer. The four distractors will be closely related to the preferred option but less correct, therefore acting as plausible alternatives.

These questions give an indication of the type of question you can expect in the exam:

 SCE in Nephrology Sample Questions

Curriculum and Blueprint

The curriculum is published by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).

The examination is made up of questions covering the whole curriculum, selected by a predetermined blueprint. Download a copy of the assessment blueprint for more details:

 SCE in Nephrology Blueprint

Essential reading:

• Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology (Eds Feehally, Floege, Johnson)
• Oxford Handbook of Dialysis (Eds Levy et al)
• Handbook of Kidney Transplantation (Eds Danovitch et al)
• American Journal of Kidney Disease publishes the US core curriculum in nephrology which gives detailed notes across the entire renal curriculum

For reference:

• Oxford Textbook of Nephrology (Eds Davison et al)

Journals:

• Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
• Kidney International
• American Journal of Kidney Diseases
• Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (and sister clinical journal)
• Clinical Nephrology
• Transplantation
• Transplant International
  

Useful websites:

• UK Renal Association -  all current UK standards and guidelines, renal National Service Framework and relevant NICE guidelines
• UK Renal Registry - resource for outcomes and audit issues and renal informatics
• European Renal Association -  has major educational and training pages and links to the European best practice guidelines:
• EREA-EDTA guidelines
• The Nephron Information Center -  covers all things renal and has excellent links pages
• Hypertension, Dialysis, Clinical Nephrology -  US education website (mostly requires payment)
• Ukidney - nephrology education website including YouTubule
• International renal fellows’ discussion groups -  renalfellow.blogspot.com
• Edinburgh Renal Unit website -  provides excellent resources
• Doctors.net.uk -  on-line training modules including many renal (all free)
  

Others:

Nephrology discussion group -  a worldwide email discussion group on various renal topics which gives a real flavour of differences in practice in Alaska, New York, the UK and developing countries.