JUNIOR doctors have said they are “saddened and disheartened” by the postponement of a key exam for trainees because of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

A UK sitting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) part one exam – the first of three for doctors who wish to specialise in this field of medicine – was due to take place on September 19.

But it has reportedly been cancelled due to the closure of exam venues on the bank holiday, with the next opportunity to sit the test in the UK now scheduled for January 2023.

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The British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors committee said it was “saddened and disheartened” by the postponement of the exam.

A series of tweets stated: “Junior doctors spend months dedicated to revising for these exams. Delays cause a significant mental toll, as well as potentially affecting training progression.

“The four-month delay before the next sitting is a substantial length of time, which will only add to anxiety.

“We are extremely disappointed that in this case, UK based trainees have been disadvantaged compared to international candidates with this postponement.

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“We must of course ensure all options for candidates to sit the exam on Monday have been exhausted, and we are liaising with stakeholders to work to mitigate this situation, ensuring fairness for all candidates.”

It is understood a small number of trainees in Scotland could be impacted.

The BMA said its UK junior doctor committee is in discussion with the relevant bodies to find a resolution with “as minimal an impact as possible for those affected”.

Dr Edward Morris, president of the RCOG, said the postponement was due to the closure of all UK test centres by provider Pearson Vue on Monday.

He said: "We sincerely apologise for the impact that this will have on candidates preparing to sit the exam.

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“The 77 UK candidates are part of a cohort of over 800 O&G doctors preparing to sit the exam in more than 40 countries around the world on Monday.

"The College has explored all potential options in its efforts to deliver the UK exam as planned, including implementing a paper based delivery, registering our own computer based test centres and using hospitals as an exam venue and recruiting invigilators.

"Unfortunately due to the late notice of the UK bank holiday and the incredibly short time scales, we have tried to minimise the impact on all candidates and made the difficult decision to postpone the UK exam."

Morris said the test which had been due to take place was an extra one added to enable all candidates affected by the pandemic globally to sit it and due to the time taken to draft new papers an earlier date could not be arranged.

He added: “We understand this is disappointing news, and that this will be incredibly disruptive for many.

"We continue to offer support where we can to affected candidates to try and alleviate this situation, including the option to travel to test centres in the Republic of Ireland and Europe.

"We can assure that where we cannot accommodate candidates, all those affected will be guaranteed a place in the next exam diet in January 2023.”