FACTM (Clinical)

FACTM (Clinical)

Introduction to the examination process for entry to Fellowship of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine

2010 is the year we mark the centenary of tropical medicine in Australia. As a contribution to the future of the discipline, the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine will introduce a Fellowship exam for medical practitioners and a parallel examination process for other professional groups who deliver health care in or for the tropics – FACTM (Paraclinical).

Exam outline. The FACTM (Clinical) will comprise two parts;

1. A written exam set at a similar level to the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. The exam will contain multiple choice, objective structured clinical questions and data interpretation questions. If you already have a DTM&H from a School of Tropical Medicine recognised by the ACTM, you can apply for an exemption from the part 1 FACTM.
2. A project in the candidate’s area of clinical practice on a topic agreed with the College. The project report will be written in the form of a mini-review for a peer-review journal and will be examined as a manuscript submitted for publication. There will be a structured examination interview covering the candidate’s project topic and at least three other current topics in mainstream tropical medicine.

Getting ready

• Preparation for both parts of the exam is the responsibility of the candidate.
• This can be done as self-directed learning, but revision materials will be presented on the following web sites: ACTM, Life in the Fast Lane, and Priobe.Net.
• Revision tutorials will be run for registered candidates in Perth and other locations, subject to demand.
• For further information contact the Chair of the ACTM Examinations Working Party (tim.inglis@health.wa.gov.au) or any members of the College Executive. Current Fellows should be able to provide guidance on how to prepare for the Part 1 exam.

Time line.

• The first examinations will be held in December this year (2010).
• The candidate will need to register your intention to take the exam, and specify which part, no later than 1^st July, 2010.
• If demand is sufficient, there will be a revision course run by the College in Townsville during the Centenary meeting in June and the World Melioidosis Congress in December when examinations will be held.

Cost.

• The FACTM (Clinical) exam will cost you $500 at the time of registration.
• This charge is expected to increase significantly in future years to cover examination operation costs, but this calendar year will be held at the introductory price.

Prior qualifications and other pre-requisites.

• To enter as a candidate for the FACTM (Clinical) you will need a medical degree currently recognised in Australia or New Zealand. If in doubt, contact the College.
• The DTM&H exam usually follows three months of full time work and is generally taken after several years of postgraduate clinical practice. This should be used as a guide to when you should consider approaching the Part 1 FACTM (Clinical) exam. The Part 2 will require a minimum of a further six months preparation while you continue your current clinical practice.

Exam syllabus. (see Table)

• There are five possible subject areas.
  • Clinical Tropical Medicine
  • Travel & Expedition Health
  • Tropical public & environmental health
  • Clinical parasitology
  • Clinical entomology
• The candidate must prepare for the Clinical Tropical Medicine subject, which is compulsory in the FACTM (Clinical) and then must make up the four examination subjects by choosing any three of the remaining four.
• The Part 1 exam will test your understanding of the contents of the recommended reading.
• We have suggested additional reading to supplement the core text. For Clinical Tropical Medicine we recommend the current edition of the Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine, supplemented by Manson’s Tropical Diseases.
• The recommended reading will not be changed before the part 1 exam

FACTM reading list