The Board of Examination & Assessment is pleased to announce the following information on the Eighteenth Conjoint Fellowship Examination with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to be held in 2004.

Only Full and Associate members of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners who are fully registered with the Hong Kong Medical Council may apply for the examination.

Graduate doctors, fully registered with the Hong Kong Medical Council and who are undergoing a full vocational training programme as outlined in the College's Handbook for Vocational Training in Family Medicine, subject to final approval by the Conjoint Examination Subcommittee, Board of Examination & Assessment.

After satisfactory completion of two years of approved training, trainees may apply to sit the written segments of the examination, all of which must be taken at the first attempt.

After satisfactory completion of four years of supervised training, Category I candidates may apply to sit the clinical examination. New Category I candidates must take the new format.

Old Format

After satisfactory completion of four years of supervised training, Category I candidates may apply to sit the clinical segments, all of which must be taken at the first attempt. Unsuccessful segments only need to be re-attempted.

*

All Category I candidates who apply to sit the written examinations MUST submit evidence of completion of 18 months of approved training by 30th June 2004, together with the application. Those who apply for the clinical examinations MUST submit evidence of completion of 42 months of approved training by 30th June 2004, together with the application.

Part-time trainees must have completed their vocational training by the time of the written examination before they can apply to sit the examinations.

CATEGORY II CANDIDATES who have been predominantly in general practice for not less than five years.

New Format

New Category II Candidates must apply to sit the new written examination and the new clinical examination on first application, except for those who were allowed to take the new written examination in 2003 and the new clinical examination in 2004 because the new clinical had not started then.

Old Format

Candidates who have begun their written or clinical examinations in the old format should continue their respective examinations in the old format. Enquiries about eligibility to sit the examination should be directed to the Chairman of the Board of Examination & Assessment.

DATES

The written examination will be held on 24th - 26th September 2004. The clinical examination will be held on 30th October - 14th November 2004.

Old Format

This is the final year for the Old Format Examinations, which has the following segments:

A valid CPR (Competence in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certificate issued by HKCFP is a pre-requisite for sitting the clinical segments of the Conjoint Fellowship Examination.

CRITERIA FOR A PASS IN THE EXAMINATION

New format

A candidate will be required to pass the entire written examination in one sitting. That is, if one fails any of the written papers, the entire written examination has to be re-taken. Successful written examination result can be retained for three years. The new clinical examination can only be taken after satisfactory completion of the new written examination and has to be passed in one sitting. If one fails the new clinical examination, all the OSCE stations have to be re-taken.

Old Format

A candidate must obtain a minimum of 55% of the marks in each segment and a minimum overall of 65% for the whole examination. All old format segment results must be completed successfully this year and cannot be carried forward to 2005.

APPLICATION AND EXAMINATION FEES

Application forms are available from the College Secretariat at Room 701, HKAM Jockey Club Building, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. The deadline for application is 16 April 2004.

Please make the cheque payable to "HKCFP Education Limited". All fees paid are neither refundable nor transferable, except if one fails the new written examination, the fee paid for the new clinical examination HK$7,600 will be returned.

Members should be aware that passing the Conjoint Fellowship Examination does not equate with election to the Fellowship of either the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians or the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Those wishing to apply for Fellowship of either or both College(s) should ensure that they satisfy the requirements of the College(s) concerned.

Entry forms for Fellowship, Membership and Associateship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners are available from the HKCFP Secretariat, Room 701, HKAM Jockey Club Building, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Tel: 2528 6618, Fax: 2555 0242.