Saphalya Pattnaik completed his MBBS from Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre in June 2021 and got General Medical Council registration in October 2021. In November 2021, he secured the position of a Junior Clinical Fellow in Trauma and Orthopaedics in South London. He is keen on pursuing surgery as a career and completed courses like ATLS, National Catheter Education, Basic Surgical Skills, the Edward Jenner
Leadership program. He is currently studying for the MRCS Part A.
IELTS Academic
My score: 7.5/9 (Minimum requirement is 7.5 overall with 7 in each module)
Cost: Rs.14000
Study period: Honestly, I didn’t study for it but if you wish to ace it you can prepare within 20-25 days.
Tips:
An excellent time to take the IELTS exam is just after your final MBBS exam during the break just before internship commences.
You can take the exam repeatedly as it is taken throughout the year and results are valid for up to 2 years.
Alternatively, you could give OET-“Occupational English Test” but it is an expensive option and is less frequent than IELTS.
There are 4 parts to the exam- Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking.
Reading and Listening are quite undemanding if you have done the CBSE curriculum and you just have to fill in/choose the correct answer depending on what the question asks of you.
Writing is where most people struggle with so I recommend you practice it occasionally and have someone read/refine your article, could either be your friend or colleague as many of us haven’t written on general topics since our schooling.
You can look up advice on speaking from ex-examiners like IELTS Liz/IELTS Simon (links provided below) they counsel extensively on how to communicate in an accurate manner.
Links:
Making a GMC account
Cost: N/A
Tips:
You could book your IELTS and make a GMC account simultaneously.
The only requirement for making an account is having completed your final MBBS exams. (not internship)
Wherever you’re unsure about the information to fill, you could enter tentative dates which would later be corrected during your GMC registration.
After completing your GMC account and getting the required IELTS scores, you will be able to see PLAB 1 seats.
Links:
PLAB 1
My score: 145/180 (Pass score was 116 during my attempt)
Cost: 239 pounds (An additional 50 pounds for materials)
Time period: 3-4 months including 15 days intense revision by taking leave during the internship
Study materials:
PLABABLE question bank is the gold standard
Plab1Keys notes
Samson & Swamy question papers from the file section in the PLAB group (link provided below)
Dr. Khalid’s discussion group on Facebook where he regularly posts Q&A (link provided below)
Exam experience:
Stems were significantly more extended than those given on PLABABLE.
Finished 10 minutes early with 7 difficult questions to solve which I skipped for the end.
Ethics was additionally trickier than expected so reading “Good Medical Practice” thoroughly is important.
Don’t have to remember lab values as they will be provided but learning normal levels of Calcium, Sodium, and Potassium is essential to solve questions faster.
My tips:
You can sit the PLAB 1 during your internship and can take it up to 4 times and the results are valid for 2 years.
Read the last line of questions first. That way you know what you’re working towards.
Join a supportive study group on Whatsapp so you can discuss your doubts and weak points.
Skip difficult questions in the exam, don’t waste more than 20 seconds pondering over a question.
Sit as many mocks as possible, close to the exam with real exam settings (Water bottle/OMR Sheets/HB pencils) which are timed.
Don’t read unnecessary topics because I see a lot of people posting questions on different groups which are nowhere close to the real exam.
Dr. Khalid’s 1700 are outdated as the stems are substantially longer.
Links:
Epic verification
Cost: 230$ (An additional Rs.1000 for DPU Alumni)
Tips:
Post pandemic, EPIC verification takes 2-3 weeks as compared to the traditional 1-2 months.
Initially, you need to pay a fee of 130$ to make an account and get your identity verified.
Upload your passport details and a photograph and they’ll prepare an EPIC report for you.
Schedule a virtual appointment with an attorney in the US through EPIC and get the report signed through a video call. (It takes about 5 minutes)
Next, you can upload your PMQ which will cost 100$ to be verified and will be sent by email to the UG section of our college.
Apply for degree verification on the DPU Alumni website which will cost about Rs.1000.
Write an email to the UG section attaching the receipt and they’ll get it done with a day or two.
Once your degree is verified, don’t opt for the automatic option. You can manually send it to “GMC, UK” once you’ve reached the GMC verification stage.
Links:
PLAB 2
Score: 12/16 stations with 122 marks (Pass score was 10 stations with a cutoff of 101)
Cost: 879 pounds (An additional 700 pounds for academy and accommodation)
Time period: 3-4 months
Study Materials:
Dr. Swamy academy notes
Dr. Swamy online video lectures (There’s also an option to opt for live classes but I went for online due to the pandemic)
Practicing mannequins and Simulator man at the academy
Exam experience:
We had to take a history, say relevant examination/investigations we would do, and formulate a management plan within 8 minutes which is quite different from our undergraduate examinations.
There were 4 types of stations- History based, clinical examinations, simulator man scenario, (Acutely unwell patient) and counseling/ethical scenarios.
I aimed to complete my history and reach the management plan by the last 2 minutes.
The precious 1.5 minutes you get before entering can change whether you pass or fail the station. During mocks or the actual exam, always read the question carefully whether there are clues ( symptoms, timing, age, gender, location whether GP or Hospital) so you can sort out your differentials, find red flags that you can assess immediately, and make a plan for your patient.
Scores awarded are equally divided into 3 categories- 1/3 History taking + 1/3 Management plans + 1/3 Interpersonal Skills (IPS).
Tips:
All materials will be provided by your academy through email so don’t worry.
I went with Swamy but I advise you to go for any other academy such as Aspire Education/ Mo Shobhy/ Dr.Hamed as the former doesn’t provide any clinical examination stations in their mocks, just history-based and counseling practice blocks.
Read through the notes and find partners to practice continuously till you master them, although don’t forget to take regular feedback on your performance.
Do not memorize the scripts as they are, the examiners will know. To avoid sounding scripted, add your phrases and make the scripts seem personal. This might be a lot of work at first but will come naturally as you go on.
Make a short note on management plans for each station. Make separate notes for this, or jot them down on the scripts.
Be polite, show a lot of empathy and sympathy. Your IPS carries 1/3 of the total scores so try to be professional, reassure the patient and show support.
If you have doubts about any management or diagnosis, use the NHS/ NICE guidelines you will use while working at the hospital in the UK.
Links:
GMC registration
Cost: 157 pounds (An additional Rs.150 for good standing from MMC)
Tips:
This would take only about a week if you have all your documents ready.
It can be started as soon as you receive your PLAB 2 results. You can go to “My Registration” in your GMC account to commence the process.
They will email you with a list of documents and you have to revert back with the following (May ask for additional documents depending on personal circumstances) -
Passport front page
Verified Final Medical Diploma (Sent from EPIC)
Internship certificate
IELTS certificate
Good standing from Maharashtra Medical Council
Once verified by them, you should be GMC registered for about a year so you have ample time to find a job
Links:
NHS job profile
Cost: N/A
Tips:
Once you have completed the above steps, you can finally create an account on https://www.jobs.nhs.uk, http://trac.jobs/ , and https://jobs.scot.nhs.uk/.
You can create a Curriculum Vita on each website which involves filling in boxes and it’ll be automatically applied for every individual job you apply to.
You need to apply to various trusts widely over the UK with your CV and depending on how good it is you’ll get selected for an interview. There’s no hard and fast rule about getting a job, some get it within a month whilst some take 3+ months to get their 1st job.
As you must’ve completed your internship (equivalent to FY1 in the UK) you are eligible to apply for FY2/Junior Clinical Fellow/Senior House Officer/FY3/Trust grade CT1 or CT2.
There are numerous ways you can strengthen your CV with- various training courses, clinical audits/Quality improvement Projects, research paper/case reports, attending conferences, leadership courses, teaching experience/training in teaching, evidence of working in a team, or prizes related to medicine.
I applied for about 35 jobs and secured 3 interviews within a month from South London, Sussex, and Cornwall all in various surgical sub specialties.
Attended the interview and was offered the job within an hour.
Links:
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