Rail closures force exams to be scrubbed at short notice
DOZENS of doctors had their exams cancelled at the last minute as rail workers brought trains to a halt for the third time on Saturday.
Students were told by email at 5pm on Friday that their Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills (PACES) post-graduate exam, organised by the Royal Colleges of Physicians in Edinburgh, was being postponed as a result of “short notice examiner unavailability due to a combination of Covid cases and travel disruption”.
Students had already made arrangements for travel and accommodation for the exams, which were due to take place at Southampton General Hospital.
Some, like Emma Routledge, had already begun their journey when they received the “devastating” news.
Ms Routledge, from London, said: “I’ve spent the day travelling to Southampton for my MRCP Paces exam tomorrow morning at 8am only to receive an email at 5pm to say it’s cancelled. I just want a chance to sit the exam I’ve prepared for.” Lauren Glanville, another doctor who was also affected by the last-minute exam cancellations, added on Twitter that she was “absolutely devastated, especially given how much preparation and pressure there is leading up to exam day”.
She wrote: “Can’t believe there couldn’t have been prior warning.”
The Royal College of Physicians said on Twitter it will “ensure an immediate review of the MRCP(UK) cancellation policy & are very sorry for any doctor this happens to.”
Keith McKellar, the chief executive of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said he was “very sorry” for being forced to cancel at “short notice”.
“My team worked very hard right up until the last minute to avoid this outcome, however, the increasing impact of Covid on examiners was exacerbated by the disruption caused by the rail strike and left us with no option but to cancel for some candidates.
“No candidate will be left out-ofpocket and we will do our best as a college to assist those candidates to access the next available exam date,” he said.