A BALLARAT hospital's plan to become a high-profile training centre will get a major boost tomorrow.Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital will be one of only two Victorian regional centres to conduct a national, once-a-year medical exam.Eight trainee specialists, mainly from interstate, will take part in the Royal Australian College of Physicians exam in Ballarat, with 500 students sitting the test nationwide.Each trainee specialist will have to study two long cases and four short cases during the day, using real patients, rotating through four sets of examiners, including six local physicians. To pass, they must score 40 out of 70.BHS director of physician training Dr Grant Phelps said this event could not have happened without the goodwill of local organisers, registrars and specialists."This exam is a critical element of our desire to become a high-profile training organisation with a reputation for excellence in training," Dr Phelps said."Our ability to deliver outstanding training and the college exam on a yearly basis will help us attract doctors to Ballarat.This is the third consecutive year the Base has held the exam, which is also being held in Bendigo.BHS oncologist Dr Kate Hamilton, who is also an examiner, did the test eight years ago, and said it was a stressful time."It was the most challenging and daunting experience I had ever faced because, if you fail, you must complete another full year of training before sitting again.The trainee specialists have completed three further years of medical training and, if successful, will then complete another three years to become a consultant physician.