E104 John Neary on Royal College Exams in 2020, Cancellation of MCQE Part II, and Exams in Med Ed

This week on the podcast we spoke with Dr. John Neary, an internist at McMaster University. Dr. Neary was instrumental in submitting a motion in 2020 that asked that Royal College Exam waive the requirements to write the royal college exam for trainees graduating in 2020, given the challenges that COVID19 were presenting for the administration of the exam. We also talked about the decision of the Medical Council of Canada to eliminate the MCQE Part II. Beyond these two very controversial topics, we had a much deeper conversation with Dr. Neary about the nature of examinations in medical education, and what the ideal exam would look like. We’d love to hear your thoughts – did studying for your royal college exam make you a better physician? Email at [email protected] or tweet at us @CanJSurg. Links:1. Petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfC63jV31Ptd5iMuktc98Av9G_a5vmtHDTEuvWEEGO8C8s71g/viewform2. Cancellation of MCQEII by MCC: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/01/04/amid-an-uproar-over-cancelled-tests-some-say-the-body-that-oversees-medical-exams-for-resident-doctors-seeking-licences-is-obsolete.htmlBio: John Neary is a general internist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at McMaster University.  He did his undergraduate degree in mathematics! He has worked as a consultant in internal medicine at SHN since finishing his residency at McMaster in 2010.