Powered by Blogger.

IMT interviews preparation- an ordeal or a relish/ merriment?

  December 23, 2023    

CONGRATULATIONS! You have managed to reach this point of the process and hopefully, you will ace at the end.  

The interview session for the IMT selection process is essential and more or less formulates the decision of your journey, so please, do take it seriously and PREPARE for it. A book called "Medical Interviews" is very famous among the applicants and is honestly very helpful in understanding the pattern of questions and answers, so is highly recommended to go through it.

INTERVIEW STRUCTURE:

A candidate is given a total of 18-20 minutes for the whole interview which consists of:
a) a 2-minute presentation about yourself (which has to be very formative)
b) a few follow-up questions for 5 minutes (can be on multiple topics and the answers can be short for this)
c) a clinical scenario lasting for 8 minutes
d) an ethical scenario lasting for 5 minutes

The entire interview goes very rapidly and needs a lot of attention and present-mindedness. It is totally normal to have the head pounding with tension but don't show a crease of nervousness on the face and voice. 

STRUCTURE OF THE ANSWERS:

Every answer has a basic structure to be followed, simply we can put it as:
background, current situation, future plan, and feedback received (if goes with the question).

I have dropped down some of the illustrations of questions that a candidate should prepare and their potential answers to just take an idea (it is always recommended to construct your own answer and portray it in your own wording and style).

Q: Tell us about yourself? (CAMP structure)

My name is XYZ and I am from ABC country where I graduated in 2017. After that, I worked as a licensed doctor there for almost a year and a half during which I served in the emergency medicine and palliative care center. At the moment, I am working at XYZ Hospital as a clinical fellow in general medicine. Within my job, I’ve worked in the wards, take lists, and managed night on-call shifts. I have good hands-on experience in performing basic procedures like catheterization, venepuncture, and ascetic tap.

Over the past few years, I’ve gained experience in research and publications where I got two of my

research projects published in a PubMed-recognized journal, both being done in medicine. A couple of
months ago, I conducted a QIP in the Trust where I targeted the improvement of 48-hour documentation
and de-escalation of antimicrobials in patients along with probiotics prescription. Hence, the sector of
audit and QIP interests me and I am looking forward to conducting more such projects in the future.
Apart from clinical skills, I am keen on conducting teaching sessions. Recently I conducted two formal
teaching sessions in the Trust. Besides that, I conduct some informal teachings daily
with the medical students or nurses having case-based discussions or discussing blood reports. In terms of commitment to medicine, I have taken theoretical MRCP exams and am planning to take PACES by the end of this year. From a personal perspective, I am a very organized person and know how to balance my personal and professional life. In my spare time, I love to travel to different areas to de-stress myself and hang out with friends.


Q: Where do you see yourself in the next ten years? (CAMP structure)

Well, ten years is a long run time. If I start shortly, I do see myself working as an IMT with one of the deaneries and will be taking the PACES exam by the end of the year. In a five-year time, I could envision myself being in a specialty training seeking gastroenterology in which I’d be taking care of the take list and the clinics, and performing various procedures. Moving on to the ten-year time, I would be working as a consultant gastroenterologist in the NHS. From an academic point of view, I could see myself doing some projects like audits, QIPs, or research in medicine during my training and presenting those at regional or national levels. As I like teaching, I would love to take my interest with me and could see to be an educational supervisor for non-trainees and trainees and for that Of course, I’d be attending respective courses. In terms of my personal life, in the next ten years, I will be settled in the UK with a family. I’d be traveling to different countries to experience cultures and rituals. 


Q: Tell us about your teaching experience.

I have a handful of teaching experience in my career so far. I have conducted a couple of teaching sessions in the Trust. For instance, a few months ago, I conducted a face-to-face teaching session on presentation and the management of acute upper and lower GI bleeds. The audience included the consultants and other colleagues. I included the recent guidelines and the scoring tools used in my presentation. Besides that, I also conducted a virtual session for the junior doctors where I taught about deranged liver enzymes and their causes. 

Apart from the formal teaching sessions, I am also keen on some informal teaching which I come across daily like teaching ECG to medical students or having a bedside case-based discussion.

The feedback from both sessions has been positive in terms of having a confident attitude and good communication skills in conveying the message. But to further flourish my way of teaching, I am planning to attend a teaching course shortly. 



Q: What makes you a good team player?/ What are your Strengths?


In terms of being a good team player/ my strengths, I would say that I am a very approachable and

amenable person. The nurses and junior doctors feel very comfortable approaching me for any issue. A lot

of my juniors from back home contact me for any guidance needed in their career plan. They also

appreciated me for being supportive and helpful to them. Besides this, I am very balanced and organized

in my personal and professional world and never compromise either of those. I take care of my patients

and side by side, I pay attention to my social needs as well. Alongside this, I am always keen and open to

learning new things and improving my medical and ethical skills by attending courses and seminars.

Recently, I took ALS and BLS courses to polish my reflexes on dealing with a cardiac arrest. I also sort of

motivate my team members to schedule some informal or formal teaching sessions where we can discuss

some common cases and their management which could improve our medical knowledge and ethical

skills. I am also very adaptive to the new environment. When I was living in Dubai, I got well adjusted

to the climate and the society there, and when I moved to England, where I also adjusted myself to the

weather and the culture. I have learned the NHS system very quickly as well. I am on a rotational post in

my Trust and get accommodated quickly with the team which makes me an efficient team player as well.



Q: Why do you want to train in medicine?/ Why do you want to work in the training program?


Well since my undergrad time, I have had this immense interest in pursuing medicine and being a physician. One of the reasons is the challenges and the diversification offered by the field itself. We come across new things daily which broadens my way of thinking and making decisions. For instance, I saw a unique case during my internship which was of SLE with Parkinsonism in an elderly patient. I got that case published in a PubMed journal. Thus, this variety and the room to grow every day inclines me more towards it. Once my consultant commented that I have a peculiar physician's hand and mind. That gave me a further boost in pursuing medicine.

From an academic point of view, I have always enjoyed reading and practicing medicine from my MBBS time. I have done a few researches back then where I made 2 publications in PubMed journal both being in gastroenterology. It also provides good opportunities for teaching for instance, I do some informal teachings daily which improves my communication and interpersonal skills. Medicine is intercalated with so many specialties that it allows me to work independently as well as with multidisciplinary teams.

Lastly, I get this sense of satisfaction and immense happiness while reliving a patient’s current symptom or illness. For example, giving oxygen to any patient coming with low saturation makes a huge difference for them and side by side to me. In terms of my commitment to medicine, I’ve taken theoretical parts of MRCP and am planning to take PACES shortly. I am registered with RCP to keep myself updated with the new guidelines and revise my medical knowledge. Hence, I have applied for IMT to move a step ahead towards my goal. 



Q: Tell me an example where you demonstrated leadership skills/ good communication skills?


So I got a bleep the other day from one of the nurses stating about a female patient who got admitted with

paracetamol overdose. She wanted me to talk to the patient as the patient was being abusive and wanted a

self-discharge at that time. As soon as I reached the ward, I first made sure that the rest of the patients and

staff in the ward were unharmed by the patient. Then I took the patient to a separate room where I could

talk to her. After introducing and making a repo in front of her, I asked about the issues that she was having.

She mentioned being attended by the staff, not having a cigarette break and not being informed about the

future plan of management. So I addressed her concerns one by one and apologized on behalf of the staff.

I explained to her about the workload that the staff might be having and also about the hospital management

and further plans. I also notified her regarding the aftermath of leaving the hospital in the middle of the

treatment. After a good 20-minute chat, she got relaxed, appreciated the time given to her, and also decided

to stay overnight. The nurses also appreciated my way of communicating and handling the situation very

calmly. Thus, via that example, it is shown how small things like good communication and adequate

information passed to the patient can bring change in their management. I also demonstrated leadership

skills by both assigning staff their tasks and supporting her emotionally.



Q: What is the IMT curriculum?


So initially it was a CMT program that was of 2 years but in 2014, it was amended to three years when

they found that doctors were not efficient enough to manage acute medical emergencies. Thus, now the

IMT program is 3 years. The purpose of the Internal Medicine (IM) stage 1 curriculum is to produce

doctors with the generic professional and specialty-specific capabilities needed to manage patients

presenting with a wide range of general medical symptoms and conditions. They will be entrusted to

undertake the role of the medical registrar in NHS district general and teaching hospitals and are qualified

to apply for higher specialist training. Internal medicine stage 1 will normally be a three-year program that

will include mandatory training in geriatric medicine, intensive care, outpatients, and ambulatory care.

IM stage 1 will be the first stage of training in internal medicine and the specialties managed by the

Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB). During that period, the trainee has to gain

the IMT competencies, required to get the MRCP diploma and have to undergo an annual ARCP

assessment. After these three years, in stage 2 of training, there will be competitive entry into specialty

plus internal medicine dual training. A minimum of three years will be spent training in the specialty (there will be variation across specialties) and there will be a further one year of internal medicine integrated flexibly within the program. This will ensure that CCT holders are competent to practice independently at the consultant level in both their specialty and internal medicine.



Q: Mistake that you have made?


During my rotation in geriatric medicine, I had a patient who presented with a fall and a background of

normocytic anemia. I was supposed to send her cross cross-match sample to keep a unit of packed cells

prepared in case her HB drops. However, at that time, I was not very confident of doing the bloods so I

booked the crossmatch for the phlebotomy team the next day. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the

phlebotomist didn’t take the blood sample. Anyway, I managed to send the sample and got the unit

prepared that day before the end of my shift however, I think her transfusion got delayed because of me.

Thus I realised my weakness and acted upon that by practicing more venesections and assisting a

phlebotomist in it to improve my skill. And I can say now, that my hand is improved a lot now.



Q: Tell us an incidence where you showed professional integrity?


It is something that is a requirement of GMC’s good medical practice and remains with me daily.

For instance, recently there was a patient who was admitted with aspiration pneumonia and AKI over that.

At the time of discharge, the family offered me a 100-pound check and my personal number. I was a bit

surprised as that’s unethical to do in my profession. Thus, I spoke to them humbly and refused to accept

the check. I think I maintained professionalism and did the right thing.




  No Comments

ACE PACES

  December 11, 2023    

Let’s jot down the exam thought to be one of the toughest exams taken by the UK trainees- PACES.
Stations of the exam:
The new pattern is much more sensible and doable. It has the same 5 stations but the structure of the stations is practical. 



The marking system is from a total of 168 with a passing threshold of around 127. It is totally okay to fail one of the stations but it is essential to clear all the skills marked in each station to pass the overall exam in the end.


Resources Used:


So the resources that I used for the preparation were very minimal and I would actually suggest other candidates who are preparing for the exam to be quite focused on the resources. There is no need to use everything available in the world, this is going to actually double up your mind. After all, all the resources actually compile the same things but in different words. I followed the “Cases for PACES” book which I found very helpful and to the point. It is suggestible to give a thorough read to the ethical and clinical sections of the book. A few things to have on your tips are some procedural indications, treatment and surveillance guidelines, and side effects of the medication that the aforementioned book covers. 


Many courses are run by different consultants and the choice of that is really individualistic. However, I took the PassPACES course and I have a very positive and affirmative review of the course. It is a four-day, dawn to dusk, very tiring course but honestly, is worth an experience. The structure of the course is very similar to the exam. The consultants and the registrars running the course were very knowledgeable and aware of the marking scheme. They would pick up points where you can improve yourself. The only negative thing that I got from the course is that the organiser is uselessly strict on some unimportant things like formal clothing and shoes and could take action if someone was not dressed as per their expectations which seemed a bit extra and unnecessary to me.


There are many other courses available which gives a candidate an option of looking around and selecting one. One can attend as many courses as the wallet allows however, one course remains more than enough if that is been followed by regular practice.


Experience of the exam:


It is not uncommon to comment on an exam as not being very difficult after clearing the exam and I think I am also doing the same, but this is what you feel once you’re de-stressed. 


My experience for the exam was very good, I enjoyed practicing clinical stations at the hospital and comm stations with some study partners. I thought it might be one of the nightmares that I was going to face, but when I was going ahead with the practice and got a good grip on picking up signs, I actually perceived it as very doable. The only strategy that should keep with you is to complete the station on time appreciating the maximum positive signs of a patient. 


A good tip is to practice with a timer from the very start, then you are going to manage to complete these stations with examination and explanation to the patient on time. Now when we come to the presentation of the cases to the examiners, actually, a lot of people would tell you many different ways of doing it but what I reckoned is that there is literally no biblical way of presentation that a candidate should follow, every candidate has a different way of presentation and this is what I followed as well. Of course, you have to show professionalism with confident body language. 
There are two things that I just kept in mind while doing the examination; if I’d be completely firm on a diagnosis I would start my presentation by saying that I believe or I think this patient has XYZ disease which is supported by the examination findings I would brief out. For example, if a patient has asthma and you are hearing wheezes in the chest then, you can be confident enough to start your presentation by saying, I think this patient has got asthma, which actually would show how confident you are in picking up signs and presentation as well. However, there are many cases in which we are not sure of the diagnosis just with the clinical findings for example, in any neurological case, then is safe to start saying the positive findings first followed by the differentials. 




  No Comments

Internal Medicine Training Application process in the UK

  June 29, 2023    

IMT is a 3-year training program in general medicine where the first 2 years are rotational and the third year is a registrar post in the Trust. The process of applying to IMT is pretty straightforward and doable but exhausting and only a single-minded person can achieve and triumph it. Applications remain open for almost a month where round 1 is usually opened in November of each year and round 2 is opened in February/ March. 

The process begins with basic portfolio designing at the Oriel website which includes lengthy personal and professional information, references from seniors, reasons for applying, future commitments and whatnot! (You can always save and close the application page at any point). It is essential to read through the recruitment criteria for the IMTs and watch the webinar to get an idea of the recruitment process as they are very pedantic and precise with what they expect their applicants to be competent in. 

The most important page among all is the last page of the application which is the "Self-assessment score" where aspirants can score as high as their achievements can allow them. It's not necessary to have everything on that list, but it's recommended to have a few to obtain a satisfactory-to-good score. Importantly, if someone hasn't gained any of those competencies previously, a few of those (like audit/QIP, leadership activity, any publication and teaching experience) can be done in the Trust. For an aspirant like me who joined NHS (as a non-trainee) just 3 months before the application, I had to burn the candles at both ends to meet the criteria and procure a good score.

It is a blessing if someone is already enrolled as a non-trainee in the NHS with any of the Trusts as that can be a ladder to achieve the milestones required in the IMT application. Thus, there are some essential points to have at your fingertips as soon as you start your first job in the NHS:

1) Try to get the grip of the system in 2 weeks or sooner than that.
2) Start working on your portfolio from day 1 of the job (shadowing period), not a single day should be taken lightly especially if you're goal-determined and time bound for the application. 
3) Get a topic for QIP/ audit maximum in 1 month of the induction. 
4) Build good professional relations with the consultants, tell them your aim and always ask them for signing off the CREST for you.
5) Participate in teachings and tend to acquire supportive certificates and colleague feedback.
6) Publications matter a lot, either previous or recent ones. Try to get even a case report published (if no publications in the past).
7) Take supportive exams like MRCPUK written parts and do basic courses such as ALS/ BLS. They will not give any scores but will leave a good impact on your application. 

I know it sounds like plenty of work for a new candidate who is coping with a totally new working environment and also struggling to tick box all the points for the application, but from personal experience, it is highly accomplishable. 

Once an application has been submitted, the next step is to wait for the selection emails which are as:

Longlisting – ensuring you can meet the main eligibility criteria to be considered for an IMT post.
Shortlisting - if capacity is insufficient to interview all eligible candidates, deciding who can be invited to interview.
Interview – assessment by consultant interviewers based on your answers to a variety of question areas.
Ranking- every candidate gets ranked according to the application and the interview performance.

Offer- Finally, selected candidates will receive that pop-up on Oriel. This is followed by another exercise of shuffling the preferences and whether or not to opt-in/ out of the upgrades. 

The process from application submission to getting an offer can take 3-4 months and a lot of patience. 

Attached is the link to the IMT recruitment documents which have pdfs of all the required files that ideally should be read beforehand the application.

Disclaimer: There are people who would suggest not to rush in the process and take all the time in the world to built up a commendable portfolio but honestly speaking, a candidate doesn't need a top-class portfolio, they just need some basic stuff and a good self assessment score to apply and to get short-listed which can be done in a 3-4 month time indisputably. 

  No Comments

NHS TRUST INTERVIEW

  June 14, 2022    

Most of the time, candidates are passably intimidated by the interview process, and to be honest, it's fair if it's happening for the very first time. However, once you have appeared in a maximum of two interviews, you will know the drill and can take the rest lightly. 

NHS has covered a detailed and phased explanation for the preparation of the interviews, a skim read of which might help.
Besides this, there are some sources and notes popularized for the interview preparation and I was also aware of those, but they appeared a whole lot to me and I didn't use those, rather I just watched a couple of youtube videos to coach myself with the format and I reckon that could be enough. But there are a few things to jot down before sitting for the interview:

⋅ Do read a few points about the Trust's values
⋅ Do go through the job description to justify your reason for applying
⋅ Make a good 2-minute paragraph for your introduction in a CAMP manner (it is a format to divide your answer in a structured way and includes clinical, academic, management and personal aspects to be covered). 
My interviews lasted for 15-20 minutes and the questions that I came across were very general and precise. 

1st interview for the post of clinical fellow in General Medicine:
After a brief intro, the consultant directly started to discuss the procedures and interventions that I can do which I mentioned in my application. Then he asked about any experience in audit and research. Following this, I had a medical scenario of a COPD patient coming to the ER with exacerbation and they wanted to hear my approach in an ABCDE manner. And that's all, the interview ended from their side and they gave me the space for any questions. The next day, I got an offer.
Lasted for 20 minutes.

2nd interview for the post of SHO in the ER:
The interview began with an introduction and greetings by two ER consultants. one of them asked me to take them through my CV, I spoke for 2 minutes and then they asked a few general questions from my CV like previous experiences and about the MRCP exams, etc. Followed by this, I got a clinical scenario on acute exacerbation of asthma in which I again followed the ABCDE approach and told them the whole asthma management in a step-wise manner. Just to tell, the consultants love to give ABGs and expect a correct interpretation from us so do go through that topic at least. After that, both the consultants were very happy and appreciated my responses. Then they asked me how soon can I join and where I live currently. Further to that, both of them had a private chat for a second and gave me an offer for the job on the spot. 
Lasted for 15 minutes.

3rd interview for the post of SHO in the ER:
So after the introduction and discussion of the CV, the consultant asked me about my visa, living near the hospital, and getting any clinical attachments. Then the other consultant gave me a very bizarre clinical scenario. the patient came to the ER who had an episode of ACS a few hours ago and was awaiting PCI but now the patient wanted to go home. He had a low mental capacity. So I was asked what would my approach be in that case (counseling) and how would I access his mental capacity (I said I am not sure but maybe MMSE or I will ask for help from my seniors).  
Lasted for 08 minutes.


Nevertheless, one thing which I can vouch for from this whole process is that the recruiters have already done macro and micro filtration from the applications and the interview process is just a bit of the left-over essence of that profile. They just want to make sure of the confidence, the way of communication, and of course the medical ethics, and for a consultant with an experience of over 5-10 years, it only takes 15-20 minutes to access a candidate and show certainty towards their decision. 
Hence, there is no need to be worried about the interview rather, be honest, spontaneous, and confident in whatever you say but be within professional limitations.

QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED BY THE CANDIDATE IN THE END:

This part is quite crucial and I think the candidate must use it to the utmost. Please do ask some questions to show your interest and dedication to the post and to also portray that you are very vivid with your plans and your needs.

1) How long would be the shadow period?
2) Would the Trust help me to get the FY2 competencies signed?
3) Would I be able to get any chosen rotations?
4) Would I be able to get any audits or QIPs?

Just an example on using the CAMP structure in your answer:

My name is XYZ and I am from ABC country where I graduated in 2017. After that, I worked as a licensed doctor there for almost a year and a half in which I served in the emergency medicine and palliative care centre. At the moment, I am working at Luton and Dunstable hospital (east of England Deanery) as a clinical fellow in general medicine. Within my job, I’ve worked in wards, take lists and managed night on-calls shifts. I have got a good hands on experience in performing basic procedures like catheterisation, venepuncture, ascetic tap.
Over the past few years, I’ve got experience in research and publications where I got two of my research projects published in a PubMed recognised journal, both being done in medicine. A couple of months ago, I conducted a QIP in the trust where I targeted the improvement on 48-hour documentation and de-escalation of antimicrobials in patients along with probiotics prescription. Hence, the sector of audit and QIP interests me and I am looking forward to conduct more of such projects in future.
Apart from clinical skills, I am keen in conducting teaching sessions. Recently I conducted two formal teaching sessions in the Trust. Besides that, I do conduct some informal teachings on my daily basis with the medical students or nurses having case based discussions or discussing blood reports.
In terms of commitment to medicine, I have taken theoretical MRCP exams and am planning to take PACES by the end of this year. 
Form personal perspective, I am very organised person and know to balance my personal and professional life. I like to make coffees for which I did a barista course and learnt to make coffee arts. In my spare time, I love to travel different areas to de stress my self and hang out with friends.

  

  No Comments

SECURING A POST IN THE NHS

  June 06, 2022    

The process of securing a job in the NHS is well-known by every IMG but many of us still adore discussing and writing about it, and so do I. 

Directly, coming on to the point, after GMC registration, despite being in seventh heaven, every candidate has to gather themselves in a composite way and get back to work ASAP. 

Beginning with the NHS account, it has to be made on trac jobs where all the jobs can be applied for. This has a very taxing file of 10-12 pages with lots and lots of details and formalities, however, it is indeed the only medium of getting an interview call so never take it lightly. As I have been on the same track recently, I am well aware of the sensitive areas and the points where IMGs struggle. For most of us, the section of "Supporting Information" remains back-breaking.

Some of the tips for compiling and finishing that section are:

1) To blow your own horn but in a decent and solemn English.
2)  Don't try to bamboozle the readers by writing those things which you cannot prove in the interview, for example: be honest if you don't have a log book weaving your competencies, times you performed some procedures, the things you need the exposure of or improvement in. 
3) Before commencing the SI, try to spend a good time reading the job description and person specification. 
3) When you are writing the SI, try to divide it into a few paragraphs with the first concisely describing your graduation, internship, and current employment/unemployment status.
4) Following this, mention the role and the reason you are applying for the post. This could be the high time to show your interest in the department or the post offered by illustrating some of your previous work done in that field or your future commitments to any sub-specialty. The reasons should sound legitimate and vivid. 
5) Next, you can mention the reason for applying for that particular Trust. This can be done by reading the values of the Trust, it's ranking with CQC, or giving a reference from a friend/ senior already connected with the Trust. This leaves a positive impact on the recruiters.
6) Now you can use a significant space in annotating your qualities, achievements, and strengths that are coinciding with the job description and person specification. Support your information with some examples like any story about teamwork, any example in which you led a quality improvement program or a campaign, and so on. 
7)  Give quality time to each and every of your application without rushing and copy-pasting. Of course, it could be draining but in the end, every sweat is of worth.  

I followed that approach and improved my reading and writing with every application. By doing so, I applied for 50 jobs (which was not less) for 1 month and got 5 offers just in a 1-month period. 

  

  No Comments

GMC REGISTRATION PROCESS

  June 05, 2022    

Start with this process as soon as you get the result and it would be wise to keep the documents equipped to save your time while registering.


So first, you have to go to GMC online > My registration > My Applications > Apply


1. Enter your EPIC ID(ECFMG)

2. Enter the internship details of all the postings you attended as per your internship certificate 

3. Confirm your name details 

4. Following this is the professional experience section (the most important and annoying one). You have to enter the details of your life 5 years from the date you are filling the form, i.e. 10th April 2017 to 10th April 2022. It has to include everything you did like study leaves, marriage break, traveling, pregnancy waiting for jobs, etc. For instance, from 10/04/2017 to 29/01/2019  -> studying at the college, 30/01/2019 to 31/03/2019 -> during this period, I was awaiting my internship start date. 01/04/2019 to 31/03/2020 -> internship at the hospital and continue likewise till date. But please DON’T LEAVE ANY GAPS otherwise you would get questioned on that
TIP: whatever you put, should be authentic and not bogus as the information is bound to validate

5. Enter about your medical regulatory body in your home country like PMC etc

6. Fill on other formalities asking about your health and fitness to practice

7. Once sure of the application, make a payment of £161


Immediately after this, you will receive an email from GMC asking for the documents to be sent [Passport, MBBS degree certificate, Certificate of Good Standing, OET/IELTS, internship completion certificate, translations (only if you have your documents in a language other than English) and employer reference (GEN1 form)].


GEN1 form: A lot of us get stuck with this draft. Actually, it is not a mandatory indenture for everyone, it is just to be filled ONLY if you have practiced medicine without any licensing/ registration in your country. 


Lastly, GMC takes about 2-3 (4-5) working days to sort out the documents and award a full registration with a license to practice in the UK. The license has to get renewed every year on the date you would be accoladed with it.

  

  2 Comments

PLAB 2

  April 09, 2022    

 Now after clearing it, I can confidently say that it’s not very difficult to clear the exam, rather it takes a lot not to clear the exam.

The exam is unpredictable and so does the marking. The stations in which a candidate thinks was awesome is the one on which they face failure. I must say, I missed covering a few things in stations, sometimes due to anxiety and sometimes due to a shortage of time. However, the one thing I was perfect with was the approach of the station and handling patients’ concerns. The simulators are not like how we practice. On the other hand, they are very helpful and to the point, and straightforward in answering the questions. If you would give them space to speak, they will steer you to the core of the station themselves, making the station very doable for you. I am immensely thankful for the simulators and the examiners I got. But it's not always the case, at times, simulators cannot be very open and then the candidate has to hold the leash of the station and conduct it accordingly.  

So first thing first, the preparation: I only used one source to study from and that’s the Aspire notes. They are the best to ace the exam. Though everyone has their preference, the point is to use only one source and stick to that till the day of your exam. Handling multiple notes can confuse and disturb the approach.

Now, the academy: Well, I might not be the right person to get any sort of guidance regarding that. From the very start of my preparation, I was against academies. It’s just their way of exploitation as they are well aware of IMG’s weaknesses. Though I ended up taking an academy course just for the sake of getting mocks and exposure to exam-like scenarios before appearing for the actual exam. Another rationale for opting for the academy was to practice simman and examination stations and guess what? I failed those two stations in my exam! So all in all, the academy didn’t give me any speck of help. Surely, I would have never taken the academy if they would have offered only the mocks. 

From the beginning, I was using aspire and practicing with different people, and being very honest, I was doing absolutely the same as the ones were doing with taking academy. Academy is not a necessity if you have a good intellect and can catch things from your practice partners. However, that notion has always been quite subjective and every person is free to make choices for themselves. 

On the flip side, I can very positively share my experience with Dr. Bose’s mocks. They are online without any examination or mannequin stations but still, they are immensely more worthy than academy mocks. She gives various affordable packages for her mocks and is the best simulator. Her feedback improved my approach and highlighted the mistakes which I perhaps was missing. 

The total time required for preparation is very variable and depends on one’s availability and dedication. I was preparing in breaks for the past 12 months and had faced 3 cancellations of the exam because of COVID. But if I would shrink it then a focused period of 2 months is enough to get familiarized with the format and peculiarities. 

To my understanding, The most essential do’s and don'ts for plab 2 are:

Do’s:

being fluent and confident in whatever you’re saying, avoid pauses in conversation, in the management part ask for patient’s concerns after every statement you make, follow the patient (if they have given you any concern at the very start of your station, forget the mugged up format we follow and mold the conversation in the way the patient is leading you), keep practicing with a right and compatible partner.

Don'ts:

don’t flaunt your medical knowledge or try to give extra information, don’t repeat the information you have already given, don’t worry about time and finishing the station, don't interrupt the patient, and dont be 100% sure of any thing you are not sure of.


  

  5 Comments

MRCP Part 2

  November 15, 2021    

I took the attempt of MRCP part 2 exam as soon as I got my results of MRCP part 1 and to some extent, that was a rushed step as I only had 3-4 months to prepare with a job. However, if someone is cramming for this exam no matter in how much time, one has to burn the midnight oil. 

Just an honest suggestion, don't rush for the exam and don't take it lightly. The exam has a level and truly tests our myriad of skills. It demands spontaneity, impulsivity, acceleration, extreme attention and an ocean of knowledge. The time in the exam hall definitely passes in a blink and the questions are very time consuming and mind draining. Even though, the complexity of the cases and the way they presented the every single question was highly appreciative.

In the end, I am almost at the top of the sky as soon as I got the result. As I had very limited time to prepare, I didn't follow any notebook or notes. My only source was medprep app which is the best alternative to Passmedicine. I followed that app for part 1 and for part 2, it has been extremely helpful in the same manner. The conveniency of the app and its biblical explanations were all I could have. Though there are other sources like pastest, on examination etc. However, I strictly would not suggest any particular Qbank to follow because at the end of the day, we can never predict what they ask and from where. 

Some of the valuable tips:

Don't put much gap in between both the parts, it blurs the concepts and makes more challenging to recall the topics.
Give as much time as you can to the explanations.
If one attempt is failed, I believe its wise to immediately take the next attempt, ofcourse with more improvement in the reading. 
Try to get active participation in any of the WhatsApp or telegram groups.  


  

  No Comments

MRCP Part 1

  February 23, 2021    

Coming on to share another interesting yet a bit tough experience of mine in the field of medicine. The writing is about the disclosure of what I chose to ace MRCP part 1, one of the known UK’s specialty certificates for doctors. 

There are a myriad of blogs and posts which kindle the ways of coping with MRCP part 1 and reading onto others’ experiences is not at all a harm. However, I believe everyone should design their own format of study according to their suitability.


It was my first attempt and I made it with flying colors but I again emphasize on the fact that the exam was not easy as it usually sounds, especially for fresh graduates. I started preparing for it in the fall of 2020 though I had a lot on my plate simultaneously so didn’t give a justifiable time to the prep. However, I dedicated my full strength into it in the last three months which proved extremely helpful. The sources to prepare are enormous, all having different focuses of gravity which might be confusing for the candidates at times. 


Initially, I started with an as usual subscription of Passmedicine that was undoubtedly the best with up to the mark questions with their explanations. But, later on, I faced some difficulties in using it. Firstly, the subscription is always for a limited period of time (either 3 or 6 months) and is paid. Moreover, it is an online site which means one cannot use the Qbank without internet. Lastly, the revision of the already done questions was nearly impossible once getting logged off from the site. Side by side, I started looking into a few offline past papers from Pastest, a majority portion of which was back-breaking and had a lot more disparity among answers with Passmedicine. 


Thus, after a fine research and comparing a hell of stuff, I ended up following just one Qbank app named “Medprep”. It is an app that contains a vast ocean of all the passmedicine and pastest questions with a bunch of past papers, all under a single umbrella. Now that was a treat for me. :P 

The installation of the app did not cost me a single penny and gave me an ownership for good.


Some of the inclining reasons of using the app:


  1. It is just a one time initiation and you can get excess to all the questions for as long as you want.

  2. It is an offline app which has all the questions already loaded in it. 

  3. Even though being an offline app, the questions and their explanations are totally updated according to the recent UK guidelines.  

  4. The app provides a few mock tests as well which appear near to the exam.

  5. The app dispenses all the necessary past papers which are mandatory to be done. 

  6. It can be used easily in any electronic device with all data getting synced.   . 



I went through the Qbank just once and didn’t read any textbook or hand-written notes, supposedly my MBBS knowledge was enough to get through with it. However, it’s recommended to give two to three reads along with one book/course to get a fine grip on the explanations. Lastly, an active and time-constrained participation on a good WhatsApp group was an addition to my revision.


A quick tip from me is that I highly emphasize not to blindly follow the anonymous Facebook suggestions of just mugging passmedicine. It’s not gonna be enough! Though it’s the Bible of MRCP but the actual exam comes highly unpredictable. So, don’t underestimate pastest, onexamination and PAST PAPERS (the essentials) as many of the questions were from these resources.


To end up, choose any resource and put a firm faith into it till the end, design an efficient and a time-friendly study plan for yourself and gain more even from concise sources.


  

  No Comments

PLAB 1

  July 31, 2020    

The Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test



The route of PLAB is now holding quite a high stakes and has become very popular among the medical students for the past decade or more. Some of the catchy reasons for that could be:


A) easily approachable and shorter route to get into the residency program 

B) more affordable and welcoming for the IMGs

C) less time and energy-consuming in terms of studies. 



In the blog, I am glad to share my experience with the exam but I would strongly recommend not getting misguided by the information provided. These are just my views. So, it would be wise to listen to other views as well and then design your plan.


The preparation for the PLAB 1 exam is quite easy. The total time period required for passing PLAB 1 is around 2 months (though can get extended to 4 months if somebody is concurrently doing a job). The exam takes place almost 4 times in a year in the UK while gets scheduled nearly 2-3 times in a year in other countries. It costs an amount of approximately Rs 48000-50000. The exam contains a total of 180 questions, including both the clinical scenarios and the basics which are to be done in 180 minutes. Its passing ratio lies in between 60-68%.

SOURCES TO GET GRIP ON:


There exist many resources for PLAB 1 but among all, the only and only reliable and essential resource is PLABABLE. It is an online paid subscription which imparts over 2000 volatile and high-yield questions. The explanation that comes after every question is highly inclining as it is written in the most comprehensive manner and is retainable.  

Apart from the updated question bank and guidelines, they also provide fast-paced online revision courses conducted by their qualified doctors and mock tests to put the learned knowledge into action. 

 

Two good reads of PLABABLE suffice to clear the exam and can be done in a duration of 3 months. Though practically, two reads are not possible because after getting done with the questions once, you cannot remark on them. In that case, you can only revise the marked ones or can make separate notes of the important topics and run through them in the end.  


Other than PLABABLE, some recommend to use Samson notes or 1700 Khalid notes. Undoubtedly, both carry a good gravity and one can use any of them besides PLABABLE (it is a must). However, I was doing a job while preparing for the exam so i didnt prefer to follow any other notes. Though, all these sources are dispensable if someone is profoundly reciting PLABABLE. But in a nutshell, it is highly individualistic and time-dependent. 


However, with time, the complexity of exams in escalating thus a candidate must prepare to the optimum levels to ace the exam. For this, a subscription of Passmedicine is highly sensible and fruitful. It contains the updated NICE and BTS guidelines with phenomenal explanation notes with every question. Again, it totally depends upon the candidate on what source to follow as the information and the content does not vary a lot in all of them.  


The books which can be used for references and revision for PLAB 1 are Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine (OHCM) and Clinical Specialities (OHCS). All the notes and explanations of PLABABLE are also from these two primary resources. 


  

  2 Comments

Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)