Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (FCPS) is a specialty fellowship diploma awarded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) in 73 disciplines including diagnostic radiology after successful completion of 4-5 years of training and intervening three-phase examination.
The FCPS (diagnostic radiology) examination is set by the CPSP and consists of three parts:
FCPS-I: to sit in this examination the candidate must have MBBS or equivalent qualification and completed one year of house jobs. The exam comprises of two BCQ format papers called papers 1 and 2, which cover the whole MBBS syllabus with a focus on anatomy. After passing FCPS-I, candidates have the option to carry out training in either diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine or radiation oncology.
IMM (intermediate module): Specialty-specific examination that can be taken after 2 years of radiology training after registration with the Research & Training Monitoring Cell (RTMC) of CPSP. The exam focuses on the core knowledge of physics, anatomy and basic radiology-related pathology. IMM comprises of 2 parts - theory (2 BCQ format papers) followed by TOACS (image-based assessment), however, to sit in IMM TOACS one has to pass the theory first.
FCPS-II: Final part of the FCPS diploma which comprises of three components - theory (2 BCQ format papers) followed by TOACS and viva. It is mandatory to pass theory first in order to sit TOACS and viva components. TOACS is again image-based assessment of the candidate covering all the modalities of radiology. It is a computer-based examination which comprises of 30 stations. The viva component comprises of six system-related viva sessions taken by six examiners on three tables, i.e. two systems on one table.
An alternative to the FCPS (diagnostic radiology) is MD radiology, which is awarded by medical universities to work as a radiologist in Pakistan.
MCPS (Member of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan) and DMRD (Diploma in Medical Radiodiagnosis) are 2-year diplomas awarded by CPSP and medical universities respectively, which can be obtained to work as a radiology specialist in Pakistan.
Subspecialty fellowship training is still at the development phase in Pakistan (2019). These institutional-based fellowships are offered in subspecialties of neuroradiology, interventional radiology, body imaging, women imaging and PET after passing FCPS/MD (radiology).
Further information for FCPS (diagnostic radiology) is available on the CPSP website including application details.
