Below are some of our common questions and answers.
No, Level 1 is a one day course only, usually for groups in hospitals, GP surgeries or commercial enterprises. It does not attract a qualification but offers a great overview of terminology which will enhance your knowledge and understanding of medical terms if you work in any administrative job within the health sector.
We have had a lot of success running one day courses across GP practices where practices across a CCG club together to make the required number of students then split the course fees between each practice, when the course is fully attended this means a fee of £50 per student for a full day of training. We deliver these courses all over the UK. Please contact us for more information.
Feedback from Jamie Woodhouse - Learning and Organisational Development, Wexham Park Hospital:
“The introduction to medical
terminology always receives great feedback from our staff, its delivered in an
easy to understand format and delegates find it very informative. It gives
people who don’t have a clinical background the opportunity to expand their
understanding and increases their confidence.”
You will receive a message once your registration has been submitted to us, this confirms that you have a place on the course you have registered for. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD AS THESE WILL BE VITAL FOR YOU TO ACCESS OUR PORTAL SYSTEM.
You will then next hear from us a week before the course starts and later that week you will receive a message from your mentor who will contact you to introduce themselves and give you a little more information. As a summary timeline, here is what to expect:
- The week before the course starts both Mediterm and you mentor will be in touch with more information.
- On the Monday of the course start date you will receive an email telling you that the first module has been unlocked in the portal. Log into the portal and study the material in your own time over the next 2 weeks (midway through this revision time, we will send you a revision guide which can be used to self test for any gaps in your revision knowledge as well as details about our excellent revision app, Quizlet).
- Once you have had the material for 2 weeks, you will be sent an email telling you that module 2 is now unlocked in the portal, this module contains a revision test to test you on the knowledge you have acquired on the previous module. Complete this test to without referring to your course notes and then submit for marking and feedback.
- The course will continue this way over 5 modules at level 2 and 9 modules at level 3. Once all the learning is complete, you will have access the final revision module. This contains revision aids such as crosswords and clinic letters for you to decipher as well as a video clip which allows you to work through a past paper in unison with the video and to be shown the format of the exam. There are then 4 compulsory past papers for you to complete and submit to your mentor for marking and feedback. Once these are complete, there are plenty of additional past papers for extra practice which can be completed at home and self marked using the answer sheets provided.
Yes, though you will pay slightly more due to administration costs. Payments for Level 2 may be made in 3 equal instalments, the first being at the start of the course, the second after module 2 and the third payment at Module 4 when the registration and exam fees are also payable.
Payments for Level 3 are collected in 3 equal instalments, the first at the start of the course, the second after Module 3 and the third after Module 6 then the registration and exam fee are also payable.
The second and third payments will be taken automatically using the card details from your initial payment via our secure system (Worldpay), please note an additional 1.5% is added for credit card payments.
The exam may be taken locally at an external centre or at your place of work if you work for the NHS.
Brook St Employment agencies kindly host our AMSPAR Exams for us. They will be very happy to speak to you following your exam, should you wish to seek work as a temporary medical secretary with them ( a great way to gain experience). To find your nearest Brook St office, visit www.brookstreet.co.uk and type your postcode in the box on the left. There is always an exam at the AMSPAR offices in London and one other designated town appointed by AMSPAR.
In addition sometimes the exam may be held at your place of work (if you’re not in the NHS) providing there is someone who is willing to invigilate and adhere to City and Guilds procedures and exam policy.
City & Guilds exam and registration fees are fixed at £55 for Level 2 and £60 for level 3 and are included within the course fees. We collect these and pay City & Guilds in bulk when we register you and enter you for the exam.
If taking the exam at Brook St their charge is £40. Pitman centres charge £55 plus vat totalling £66, this is payable nearer the time of the exam and we will liaise with you about this once the exam venue is established.
You must obtain a minimum of 70% at both levels to pass the exam. We also use this as our pass rate for our internal testing.
The grading brackets are as shown:
70%+ = pass
80%+ = merit
90%+ = distinction