Thank you from Ipswich!

'As one of eight doctors from Ipswich Hospital to attend the PassPACES Course, I just wanted to pass on my thanks for a fantastic course. The patients were amazing, not only having superb clinical signs, but also pointing us in the right direction should we be struggling! The clinical lecturers taught enthusiastically, with a good sense of humour; the mock exam and the way the lecturers responded during the mock was extremely relevant and useful for the actual exam. The feedback we were given during the course reflected the style of the exam marking system and was invaluable for improving any "weak" spots.

It was a 100% pass rate for the Ipswich group who all attended the PassPACES Course - all of us "first timers" - thank you so much for helping us to achieve this.'

Dr. Johanne Brooks, MRCP, Ipswich, UK

‘Thank you so much for organising this excellent and intensive four day course, which completely consolidated and refined my revision for PACES. The PassPACES Course propels you forward and equips you, so that when it comes to the exam, you have that little bit extra to make you stand out. I think the quality of the lecturers and their teaching was excellent, which meant that when I got to the exam I knew that even if I didn't get the diagnosis, I could at least have a sensible discussion with the examiners (which is exactly what happened on a couple of occasions).

I passed, achieving 100% in some of the stations.

Thanks once again’

Dr Priya Patel, MRCP, CT1 Acute Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital.

‘I wanted to email to pass on my thanks to all of the PassPACES team, especially Dr Rupa Bessant, for the invaluable help the course gave me in preparing for my PACES. Thankfully I managed to pass at first attempt and am aware that I owe a debt of gratitude to the course. The course was recommended to me by a senior colleague and I attended with high expectations. I am delighted to say that it still managed to surpass all expectations. At all levels of organisation the course was superb and I know that these sentiments are shared amongst other doctors who attended the course. I shall certainly recommend the PassPACES course to other doctors taking their PACES examination soon.’

Dr. John Williamson, MRCP, Queens Hospital, Romford, UK

‘I would just like to say a huge thank you to you all for such a superb course back in May... I am recommending you to all my friends and colleagues preparing for PACES. The course was brilliantly organised, the teaching and the quantity and quality of cases to see was exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed every day, learnt so much and came away feeling totally inspired - it was just brilliant.
And you really do prepare us to pass the exam!! I have just passed PACES first time with a score of 167/172 and absolutely cannot believe it!!
I have no doubt that PassPACES was key to my success.
You were incredibly supportive and helpful when my exam date was changed at the last minute, while I was on the course, in deciding to take the exam earlier than planned and I am so so grateful to you all - thank you very very much.’
Dr Angela Clare Dawson MRCP, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, UK

‘I cannot recommend PassPACES highly enough. I attended the course 5 weeks prior to taking the exam and subsequently passed, achieving 100% in half of the stations.

The course was excellent for so many reasons. It provided high quality medical tuition and exposure to relevant patients. Most importantly, there was a strong emphasis on putting candidates in the 'PACES frame of mind'. This was essential for me as I am a 53 year old GP, with three young children. I work in a rural Practice 40 minutes from a hospital and as a result had no opportunity for tuition or ward teaching. The final mock exam and feedback on the course highlighted personal areas requiring attention which was invaluable. The course was intense, but one never felt intimidated. There was always the opportunity to ask (sometimes very basic) questions without fear of embarrassment.

In short, a pleasantly arduous four days, and a course superior to any I had previously attended.’

Dr Julian J Rippin BSc, BMedSci, BM BS, MSc, PhD, MRCGP

‘Just to let you know that I heard that I passed PACES. Thank you very much for the help! Your course was the strongest overall that I went to. Neurology and Ophthalmology were particularly strong. I preferred the format of the PassPACES course to that of the other courses. There was also a good emphasis on professionalism in approach and presentation.’

Dr Mark Peterzan MRCP, Newham Hospital, UK

‘Thank you once again for such an excellent course. It looked to me like a massive undertaking to arrange something like this for 4 days, and to make sure everything runs smoothly - very impressive indeed. I just wanted to say that this course gave me something special - a belief in myself. I started seeing the light in the end of the tunnel and realising that I CAN be logical and calm and make sense of what signs I elicit. With this realisation in mind, I am now in a much more positive frame of mind, which will allow me to give it my best shot in 10 days! ….

…. Just a quick email to say a big huge thank you - I have just found out that I've passed (first attempt). I can read books and examine patients, but your course truly made me believe in myself. :-)

Good luck, and keep up the fantastic work!’

Dr Evguenia Galinskaya, MRCP, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, UK

'I would like to say a big thank you to all the outstanding lecturers on the PassPACES course with a special extra mention to Dr Rupa Bessant, without whose guidance I would not be sitting here celebrating my success in obtaining both the MRCPI and MRCP (UK).'

Dr. Sanjay Chotirmall, MRCPI, MRCP(UK), Dublin, Ireland.

"I would like to thank you for your excellent course. The high quality lectures I received and the wide variety of patients I encountered during the PassPACES Course really made all the difference. Taking your course 2 months prior to my exam made me realize the amount of work I needed to put in and it certainly paid off, as I was able to optimize the planning of my revision.

I have been successful in passing my PACES with a score of 165/172 on my first attempt. I believe that I would not have achieved such a high score if it wasn't for this course. Thank you once again!"

Dr Edward Chong, MRCP, Sheffield, UK.

‘I would like to thank you all for your excellent course. I passed first time. The course sets a benchmark for you and the teaching is first rate and enjoyable. I have leaned skills I apply to my everyday practice. Many thanks to the instructors and organisers, especially Dr Rupa Bessant whose advice was brilliant. With gratitude.’
Dr Lou Wiblin MRCP, Durham, UK.

'I just wanted to let you know I passed - with full marks in several stations. Thank you for the course.'

Dr Victoria Beasley MRCP, St Mary's Hospital, London UK.

‘The PassPACES Course contributed significantly to my success in the PACES exam, which I passed on my first attempt. It is a very well organised course, with enthusiastic lecturers, who have excellent teaching skills. Each candidate has the unique opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of clinical cases, some of which are quite rare and extremely interesting.
I highly recommend this course, not only to candidates preparing for the exam, but also to every junior doctor who wishes to reinforce his clinical, diagnostic and communication skills and build up his confidence as a clinician.’

Dr Melina Kostoula MRCP, Watford General Hospital, Eastern Deanery, UK

'Thank you all for your inspirational teaching and enthusiasm. I passed PACES first time round!'

Dr Justin Garner MRCP, Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK

‘I am very glad to inform you that I passed the PACES exam with a score of 162/172 (94.2%). I take this opportunity to convey my thanks to you and your team of committed teachers for the wonderful preparatory course. Keep your good work going!!’

Dr. Mahalekshmi Desikan MRCP, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK

‘I just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for helping me pass my PACES exam (first time round!).
The PassPACES course was just what I needed, with a great selection of not only patients and signs but also doctors teaching on the course. You should be very proud of your course.
Thank you once again.’
Dr Mohammed Choudhury MRCP, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, UK

'I'd just like to say a big thank you to Dr Rupa Bessant and all the other course lecturers who taught me on the PassPACES course in June. The course was superbly organised with some fantastic, friendly and enthusiastic lecturers and patients with really interesting clinical signs.
I've attended other courses, however this is by far the best and I've been highly recommending it to other colleagues. It has taught me so much more about clinical medicine than simply passing the exam. Without doing this course I'm sure I would not have passed first time.
Thank you so much! '
Dr. Kate Fraser, MRCP, Brighton, UK

'I recently passed my PACES exam first time around after going on the PassPACES course.
PassPACES gave me an excellent feel for the standard required in the exam and provided a framework to base my revision around.
By the end of the course, I was picking up subtle signs that I would never have seen before.
It was especially good for me, because I was working in A&E at the time, with precious little time to revise.
I'm glad I attended the earlier course in the block, because it gave me plenty of time to practice and get myself to the standard required.
The atmosphere on the course was very friendly - the faculty were superb and very approachable.
Highly recommended.'
Dr. David Palmer, MRCP, Mersey Deanery, UK.

'I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your help and guidance on the recent PassPACES course.
It was such a good environment for learning and developing.
All we wanted to do was stay on the course until the day of the exam.
I will definitely be recommending the PassPACES course to all my colleagues.'
Dr. Andrew Furness, MRCP, Royal Surrey Hospital, UK.