OpenClinicals is a free, open-access, medical education resource that is intended to support preparation for the RACP Divisional Clinical Examination (DCE). It exists primarily to complement preparation for the short case examinations, which tends to cover similar content each year, in contrast to the written examination.
While excellent formal resources and teaching programs are available through local health services and external providers, these resources can vary amongst health services and engagement in external courses can be limited by cost, time, or availability.
As part of an overarching curriculum and the supervision provided by health services, the majority of preparation for the DCE is undertaken independently by trainees. Trainees often complete long and short case assessments in their own time, assessing and providing feedback to each other. There is a need for a flexible, accessible resource to support this learning; through its online and open-access nature, OpenClinicals aims to provide resources that can be used to support short case practice, whenever and wherever this occurs.
The available material is largely Respiratory-focused for now, and aims to achieve alignment with the teaching curriculum delivered through Western Health in Melbourne, Australia. The teaching material contained within OpenClinicals reflects my clinical preparation for the RACP Clinical Examination, subsequent advanced training in Respiratory Medicine, and personal thoughts on how to approach the DCE. This resource is not sanctioned or affiliated with the RACP, nor have I formally examined for the RACP in this context.
No teaching resource exists in isolation; this is not intended to represent an exhaustive repository of examinable content. A list of other resources that previous trainees have found helpful can be found [[Other study resources|here]].
**OpenClinicals will always be free.** This resource is part of the FOAM (Free Open Access Meducation) movement; a collaborative, community-driven ethos to promote the unrestricted sharing of medical knowledge. In doing so, this project aims to follow in the footsteps of resources such as Life In The Fast Lane and Deranged Physiology that I have found helpful myself. If you find this material helpful, the best way to contribute is to share feedback, corrections, or ideas for improvement, which can be directed to
[email protected].