A review of the results of the examinations for Fellowship of the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College (1972-84).

Efforts at the local training of postgraduate doctors in Nigeria started formally in 1970, following the establishment of the Nigerian Fellowship Programme, now called the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. The programme consists of three sets of examinations termed Primary, Part I and Part II examinations. This report is an analysis of the performance at examinations conducted by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. Since its inception in 1970, a total of 4388 attempts at the various examinations of the College had been made by November 1984. The mean pass rate was 38.8%. Pass rates in the Primary and Part I examinations were similar to each other and to pass rates in similar examinations in other countries. Pass rates were much higher in the Part II or final examinations. The College has produced a total of 145 Fellows during the period under review. Of these 36, 34, 27 and 13 respectively were in internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery and paediatrics. All other faculties accounted for 35 of the 145 Fellows. Applications for these examinations have increased tremendously in recent years and this trend is likely to continue in the future. The pace at which candidates complete the programme appears slow. The possible causes of the apparent poor performance of the College and ways of improving it are discussed.