Illustrative sample
Sample MRCGP SCA Case Outline
This public sample is for outreach and preview purposes. It is not clinical advice, not a real examination station, not a prediction of exam content, and not drawn from private case data.
Scenario Snapshot
- Consultation setting: Routine UK general practice appointment
- Patient role: Adult patient attending with a common primary-care concern
- Trainee task: Demonstrate a safe, patient-centred consultation structure within an SCA-style encounter
- Primary skills sampled: Opening, agenda setting, focused history, explanation, shared planning, safety-netting, and closure
Candidate Brief
You are the GP trainee seeing a patient in a routine appointment. The patient has booked to discuss a health concern that is affecting their day-to-day life. Your task is to explore their concerns, identify relevant context, explain your thinking in plain language, agree a practical plan, and close safely.
Patient Information for Role-Play
- The patient is worried because symptoms have persisted longer than expected.
- They have searched online and are anxious about serious causes.
- They want to understand what might be going on and what should happen next.
- They may reveal additional context if the consultation feels open, respectful, and structured.
Expected Consultation Flow
- Opening and agenda: Confirm the patient's reason for attending, invite their main concern and expectations, and set a shared agenda.
- Focused information gathering: Explore symptom pattern, impact, background, ideas, concerns, expectations, and features that would change urgency.
- Explanation: Summarise clearly, explain likely possibilities in accessible language, and avoid over-reassurance where uncertainty remains.
- Shared plan: Offer proportionate next steps, check understanding and preferences, and agree what happens next.
- Safety-netting and closure: Explain what should prompt urgent help or earlier review, confirm follow-up, and invite final questions.
Example Learning Focus
- Did the candidate identify the patient's main worry early?
- Did they balance empathy with efficient clinical structure?
- Did they make uncertainty explicit without creating unnecessary alarm?
- Did the plan feel shared rather than delivered as instructions?
- Was the safety-net specific, memorable, and proportionate?