1. Tips For MRCpath Success Loretta Ford Jonathan Berg
NHS
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals
NHS Trust
Tips For MRCpath Success Loretta Ford Jonathan Berg
Clinical Biochemistry
City Hospital, Birmingham

2. What To Expect Three hours long Afternoon of the second day
Spectrophotometers -you will be given time before practical for familiarisation. If ever used again!
Told this on day one

3. What Should You Take? Make sure you know how to use the equipment!
 Essential: Lab coat
Gloves
Pipettes (at least 1 ml and 5 ml)
Pipette tips
Marker pen
Calculator
Ruler
Graph paper
Make sure you
know how to use
the equipment!
Desirable: Parafilm
Stop clock
Plain 10 ml Universal Containers
Plastic test tubes
Pastettes
Thermometer
Box of consumables at front of room (but you should not really need them)

4. Books & Notes Bring any books/notes into exam Tietz obvious choice
Little time in exam to read books!
Better off compiling own folder
Google will provide plenty of ready made notes

5. Practical Folder Suggested Contents
Most past papers involve urine analysis
Far easier for examiners to provide urine than blood
Limits the number of analysis that can be performed think:
creatinine
proteins
drugs of abuse 
POCT becoming more popular:
glucose meters

6. Practical Folder Suggested Contents
Enzyme kinetics: (km/vmax)
Michaelis-Menten, Lineweaver-Burk
Reference intervals (especially urine tests)
Conversion tables for units of common analytes
Chemistry of ATP/NADH
Advantages/disadvantages of POCT
Equations e.g. A=CL, MDRD

7. Before you pick up a pipette!
Spend 10 min reading to the end of the paper (recommend read twice!)
Write notes at front of workbook as you go along
Underline important points
Create a Work Plan
Make sure the work you do answers all the examiners questions

8. Before you pick up a pipette!
Check you have all the reagents listed
Check you have enough reagents for the work you propose
Are reagents in date?
Observations e.g. if reagents are cold and kit insert says they should be used at RT point this out
Check lot numbers
For POCT is device CE Marked?
Don’t worry If everyone else has started while you do this it maybe half hour before you start
-preparation is everything!

9. Practical work and writing up
For each experiment you will need:
Title (aim of experiment)
Methods
Results
Always present data in a tabulated form
Graphs must have a title and labelled axis
Make a note of any observations e.g. colour change
Conclusions
Include further work e.g. what the next experiment will be

10. Practical work and writing up
Most practicals require:
Calibration curve (unless stated use min 3 points)
Measurement of standards & unknown samples
Investigation of interference
Use your initiative (only if time & reagents allow!)
What happens if POCT results are read after
5, 10 min instead of 2

11. Practical work and writing up
Short Report to Consultant
Popular inclusion in recent practicals
Create a template for your Practical Folder (especially for POCT device)
Discuss contents of report with supervisor
Final Summary
Summarise all results on a single page in tabulated form

12. What if it all goes wrong?
Write down any mistakes
If you can explain what went wrong even better
Try to repeat wrong experiments correctly
If you have run out of time/reagents write down what you would of done

13. Remember….
Marks can only be given for what you have written down!
Write legibly –keep work as neat as possible
Explain clearly everything you do
Write down all observations
Keep an eye on the time
Even if you have not finished leave at least 15 min at the end to make sure you have written everything down!
Always read to the end of the paper before starting!!!
Don’t cry……..

14. Examples Example Questions: Comparison of 2 POCT glucose devices
Study of the cross-reactivity of a drugs of
abuse POCT device