Specialty Certificate Examination in Respiratory Medicine

*Advance notice to candidates of SCE in Respiratory Medicine: from 2013 onwards the date of the SCE in Respiratory Medicine will change. The examination will take place in October/November of each year.

The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in Respiratory Medicine is delivered once a year.

Eligibility requirements

There is no entry requirement for the SCE in Respiratory Medicine, however, candidates in UK training posts would normally take the SCE in Respiratory Medicine in their penultimate year of higher specialty training.

Qualification: Certificate in Respiratory Medicine

Trainees who have gained the Certificate in Respiratory Medicine and who are recommended for a CCT will be entitled to apply for the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Respiratory Medicine). For further details please see the FAQs.  

Resources for trainees

The SCE in Respiratory Medicine covers the whole of the curriculum as outlined by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).

Preparation for the SCE requires a wide breadth of knowledge around the curriculum and should involve reading of textbooks (Thorax reviews new books), journals and guidelines, and be supplemented by attending conferences, short courses and regional society meetings.

The key advice if you are weak in certain areas, is work at it and use multiple sources (e.g. short courses, guidelines, reading, talking with your educational supervisor). 

Information tested in the SCE may come from a variety of sources and will not be restricted to the sources below.

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 Respiratory Medicine Sample Questions 

Blueprint

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 Respiratory Medicine Blueprint

Suggested information sources - how to prepare for the exam

• attend multi-disciplinary meetings in the various specialty blocks
• interpret lung function tests including spirometry, flow volume loops, full pulmonary function tests, exercise physiology and arterial blood gases
• interpret chest radiology including chest radiography, CT scanning and PET scanning

Guidelines

• read all the British Thoracic Society Guidelines and guidelines from other societies such as the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society
• UK national guidelines used in clinical practice  - see the NICE website and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), see SIGN website

Journals

Keep up-to-date and read the key respiratory journals including:

•  Amercian Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
•  Thorax
•  European Respiratory Journal
•  CHEST