Positive morale at Monash Health contributes to RACP exam success

The successful cohort with Dr Henry Ma

Monash University MBBS graduates achieved another record pass rate in their recent Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) written exam at Monash Health.

The Monash Health class, predominantly Monash University graduates, achieved a remarkable 91% (against a national pass rate of 71%), with 31 out of 34 successful candidates.  

Doctors who successfully pass the RACP exams may progress into a medical subspecialty of their choice.

“This is one of the highest results recorded,” said Dr Henry Ma, Director of Physician Education at Monash Medical Centre.  “This is a fantastic result and it could not have been achieved without the support of the organisation and all the medical staff.”

 “At Monash Health we offer a comprehensive physician training program with a major focus on career development, and in a supportive environment,” added Dr Ma.

The strong teaching culture at Monash Health is led by senior staff and the Head of Division of Medicine, Professor Peter Ebeling.

"This outstanding near-perfect result represents not only the quality of the FRACP Part 1 candidates but also the dedication and skills of Dr Henry Ma and his team, and the enthusiasm and excellence displayed by the Monash Health physicians in basic physician teaching and training,” said Professor Ebeling.

“We will have a very strong cohort for the clinical exam later this year, and these results so far are something in which all of us in the Division of Medicine can be proud."

“The morale at Monash health is fantastic,” said successful candidate Dr Ai Li Yeo.  “Being able to study amongst such a dedicated and supportive cohort has been extremely rewarding and we all look forward to tackling the clinical examination as a team!”

The successful cohort reported they were supported by non-clinical staff with roster flexibility for study courses, booking rooms for tutorials and daily text message reminders.

“We had a very structured timetable including tutorials given by outstanding, enthusiastic consultants and advanced trainees who generously gave up their evenings to teach us,” said Dr Sudha Raghunath, another successful candidate.

Dr Henry Ma, Dr Darren Mansfield, Dr Andy Lim, Dr Chris Daley and Administration Manager of the Physician Training Program, Carol Low all need to be particularly thanked and acknowledged, members of the successful cohort reported.  

“Carol’s flawless administration meant that every tutorial ran smoothly and took a lot of stress off our shoulders,” added Dr Raghunath.

“While this last year has been incredibly challenging, the most satisfying part of going through this process is exponentially improving our medical knowledge which allows us to do our best in our daily work as medical registrars at Monash Health.”