WACP Primary study guide
WACP Primary · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The WACP Primary is the entry-level postgraduate examination of the West African College of Physicians, taken by medical graduates who intend to pursue Fellowship training in one of the College's six faculties: Community Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Medicine, Paediatrics, and Psychiatry. The Nigeria Chapter describes itself as the largest chapter of the College, training and certifying specialists across six faculties since 1976, with a membership of more than 4,500 physicians. The WACP Primary study guide has 6 sections and about 1,691 words.
01Community Health
Community Health in the WACP Primary tests population-level reasoning: primary health care (PHC), epidemiological measures, programme indicators, and outbreak investigation. Questions often present a district scenario and ask for the correct denominator, indicator, or programme action.
307 words, about 2 min02Family Medicine
Family Medicine tests whole-person care across the life course: the consultation, continuity, family systems, and community-oriented primary care. The exam favours scenarios where biomedical and psychosocial factors interact.
292 words, about 1 min03Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine tests diagnostic reasoning and safe management of adult disease, with emphasis on conditions common in West Africa: hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, HIV, sickle cell disease, and peptic ulcer disease. Hypertension: clinic BP ≥140/90 mmHg on repeated readings; confirm with ambulatory or home monitoring before labelling.
275 words, about 1 min04Laboratory Medicine
Laboratory Medicine tests safe test ordering, interpretation, and quality across the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases. Expect questions on malaria diagnostics, CSF interpretation, haemoglobin electrophoresis, and test performance.
280 words, about 1 min05Paediatrics
Paediatrics tests care from the newborn period through adolescence, with heavy weighting on IMCI, neonatal problems, growth, and common infections. IMCI danger signs: unable to drink or breastfeed, convulsions, lethargy or unconsciousness, chest indrawing, stridor in a calm child, and severe malnutrition.
271 words, about 1 min06Psychiatry
Psychiatry tests recognition and first-line management of mental disorders in general and primary care, using the mental state examination (MSE) and mhGAP principles. MSE components: appearance, behaviour, speech, mood and affect, thought form and content, perception, cognition, and insight.
266 words, about 1 min