The Fellowship of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FFICM) and the Fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FPMRCA) are postgraduate medical qualification examinations that are recognised in the UK. The College and faculties are committed to maintaining professional standards in our specialties, ensuring patient safety, and supporting members. The College are committed to ensuring fairness and parity in the delivery of our functions and services. The examinations are set in a way that allow all candidates to demonstrate their performance in a way that is fair and appropriate to the assessment. The regulations underpinning the examinations can be found at the following links:
Professional examinations are an essential aspect of medical education and training, providing a means for individuals to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities. The College and Faculties have detailed processes, policies, and procedures in place to oversee and deliver the examinations and employ these alongside the dedication and hard work of our staff, examiners, invigilators, and suppliers. However, despite best efforts from all parties, issues with examinations can arise.
In most cases, a complaint or appeal will be unnecessary as candidates will be able to communicate with College or Faculty staff to support any concerns.
Our appeals policy provides candidates with the option to make an appeal in the examination if there are issues in the examination that prevent it being delivered in accordance with the regulations, policies and/ or procedures. In such cases, this policy provides a mechanism for candidates to appeal an examination outcome.
This policy applies to all candidates for examinations delivered by the RCoA, namely FRCA, FFICM and FFPMRCA. The RCoA may delegate any of the duties outlined in this policy to appropriate staff or representatives to ensure effective and fair execution of the policy.
Any disputes or disagreements will be reviewed and resolved by the RCoA Vice President for Training, whose decision will be final.
Candidates should note that by applying to sit an examination they are deemed to have understood and agreed to abide by all relevant examination regulations, including this Appeals policy.
