A frailty course can be valuable to a specialist trainee, a general practitioner and someone preparing for a geriatric medicine qualification. It does not follow that all three need the same depth of study, or that finishing the course demonstrates readiness for their respective assessments. Start with the task you must perform afterwards.
As checked on 19 September 2026, BGS eLearning includes programmes covering frailty, delirium, continence and oncogeriatrics. The important purchasing question is not simply whether the material is relevant, but whether it adds teaching you need and whether you already have access. This article is published by iatroX and includes its supplementary question practice in that decision.
Check access before paying for a replacement
BGS states, as checked on 19 September 2026, that its eLearning courses are free to members and cost £150 each for non-members. Its frailty programme's free access for everyone ended on 30 June 2026; from 1 July, member access remained free. The Society also identifies categories eligible for free membership, so check your own eligibility rather than assuming the non-member price applies.
Those terms matter more than an old recommendation describing a universally free course. They also mean that an existing member should inspect the available education before buying a similar resource elsewhere. Free access through membership is not the same as the course being free to every visitor.
The comparison is not a simple price contest. A focused taught programme and a question-led subscription perform different work. Select between them using the weakness you are trying to address.
Separate the CGM, DGM and SCE routes
The RCP's information checked on 19 September 2026 describes the Certificate in Geriatric Medicine as a knowledge-based assessment. Successful candidates can apply for the Diploma in Geriatric Medicine, which involves a clinical assessment. Neither credential is itself a taught course.
Keep that route distinct from the specialist Geriatric Medicine SCE. A resource stored under an older "DGM revision" label needs checking against the component you are now preparing for. Do not assume that its title demonstrates current blueprint mapping.
Write a sentence that identifies your immediate objective: "I need to answer a knowledge question", "I need to conduct and explain an assessment", or "I need specialist-level discussion of a complex decision." That sentence will often change which part of a course you use.
One patient, three different learning demands
Consider this original fictional case. An older person is recovering after an admission. A discharge-planning note lists several diagnoses, but says little about previous function. The person wants to return home. A family member says the home arrangement is no longer manageable. The proposed plan assumes daily support that has not been confirmed.
At a knowledge-revision level, the learner should identify what is missing from the case. The diagnosis list does not tell you how the person normally manages daily activities, what has changed, what assistance exists or what they understand about the proposed options.
For a clinical rehearsal, the task is different. Ask the person about what matters to them, clarify the family's concerns without treating them as the patient's own view, and explain why the unresolved support arrangements affect planning. Someone observing the encounter can comment on how these questions were asked; a written answer cannot demonstrate that interaction.
For a specialist discussion, add competing possibilities and uncertainty. Which difficulty is temporary, which may persist, and what further assessment would distinguish them? What can reasonably be proposed now, and what requires multidisciplinary information? Avoid turning the exercise into an unsupported definitive discharge decision.
The case is deliberately incomplete. Its purpose is to expose the difference between recognising a relevant concept, eliciting the necessary information and integrating that information into a defensible plan.
Make a depth map instead of three copies of the same notes
Use one page with a row for each learning problem.
| Problem in the fictional case | Useful teaching objective | Evidence of further learning |
|---|---|---|
| Previous function is absent | Understand what a functional history must establish | Identify the missing information in a different vignette |
| The patient's goal is being assumed | Explore preferences without replacing them with family concerns | An observed or peer-rehearsed explanation |
| Support availability is unconfirmed | Separate a proposed plan from an executable plan | A revised case summary naming the uncertainty |
| Several priorities compete | Explain why one issue needs attention before another | A justified response to a changed case |
These are suggested learning activities, not official examination marking criteria. Add the relevant curriculum reference in your own plan. A teaching module may address more than one row, but completion alone does not show that every row has been mastered.
Do not make the map exhaustive before using it. One well-understood case can reveal a specific gap; an elaborate spreadsheet of every possible geriatric topic may simply postpone the practice that would identify it.
Inspect what the course assessment tells you
A course quiz can check the material just taught. It may also prompt a useful return to a section you misunderstood. Neither function makes its percentage interchangeable with an SCE mock or evidence of clinical competence.
Record the question behind a mistake in your own words. For example: "I chose a discharge destination before establishing whether the assumed support exists." That gives you an answerable learning need. Recording only "frailty score low" is less useful, especially when several different reasoning errors could produce it.
For clinical preparation, obtain appropriate observed practice as well. Reading about an assessment, discussing a fictional scenario and performing the assessment with a real person are related activities, not substitutes for one another.
Where additional iatroX practice fits
Under the September 2026 product description, iatroX offers geriatric examination knowledge practice and Socratic Tutor follow-up. Its public catalogue includes a legacy DGM-labelled bank as well as the specialist SCE route; inspect the current selector and content before assuming that the legacy label establishes complete CGM mapping.
Use supplementary questions to test a specific distinction from the course. Tutor can explore the reasoning attached to an attempted question, while spaced review provides another opportunity to revisit it. This is not an advertised DGM clinical simulator, and a question result cannot replace the RCP's clinical assessment.
For an existing BGS member who needs teaching, start with the included course. For a candidate with sound understanding but weak application, inspect relevant question samples. For someone preparing for clinical performance, prioritise observed practice and use online learning to address the knowledge it exposes.
Frequently asked questions
Is BGS frailty eLearning still free for everyone?
BGS states that universal free access ended on 30 June 2026, with free member access continuing from 1 July. Check the current course page and membership eligibility before purchasing.
Is DGM now simply another name for CGM?
No: the RCP describes CGM as the knowledge-based credential and DGM as a subsequent clinical assessment route. Check the regulations for your intended component rather than treating the abbreviations as interchangeable.
Does completing BGS eLearning establish readiness for the SCE?
No: course completion records an educational activity, not performance across the whole examination. Use the current blueprint, appropriate independent practice and supervised learning to assess remaining needs.