FACTORS WHICH CAN DECREASE DOWNTIME OF GETTING A JOB IN THE UK
4th year marks the start of a big change. All the USMLE guys go into the hibernation mode with their big FAs. Watching your friends studying in the reading room all the time and seeing them boycotting every other event of the university makes you want to question yourself, “Am I doing it right? Am I wasting my time? Will I lag behind my colleagues?” That’s a natural feeling. Many students do not have a natural inclination toward USMLE but owing to this peer pressure they end up mimicking their friends without having proper will and eventually give up after some time. While I believe that gathering knowledge is always a good thing no matter where it comes from, I also feel that if you want to pursue a career in the UK, there is quite a lot of other stuff that you can do in this time period which will increase your likelihood of getting a job in the UK asap. See the thing is, PLAB scores do not matter. Everyone applying for the job will have MBBS and PLAB done, so it’s really your clinical experience and your extra-attributes which can impact your hiring process and increase your chance of getting a job. The most important ones are as follows:
BSc ENGLISH
This is a must do for UK fellas. Not only will it add to your CV, it actually carries upto 10 extra points when you apply for the specialty training. Ideal time to take this exam is in 4th year or final year.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTION
This includes all types of awards i.e., curricular and extra-curricular.
EXTRA COURSES
This might include any clinical or non-clinical courses including BLS, medical education courses or any IT related online diplomas etc.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
I cannot emphasize enough on it. Ideally try to get a publication, but even if your research doesn’t get published, it will still be counted in your research experience.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS (QIPS)/ CLINICAL AUDITS
This is perhaps the most underrated subject in clinical practice in Pakistan and one of the highest rated subjects in the NHS. Your interview won’t be complete without the question, “Have you taken any active part in a quality improvement project so far?” I didn't even know what it was until I had to establish my profile on ‘jobs.nhs.uk’ because there was a whole separate section for this subject there. QIPs, as the name suggest include any process in which you improve the quality of care. A simplest example would be provision of hand gels in surgical minor OT to prevent wound infections. Clinical Audit, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated process. It assesses if a certain aspect of health care is attaining a recognized standard. This can tell us where we are doing good and where there is room for improvement. A simplest example would be comparing mortality rates of DKA in a medical ward at Mayo Hospital to a national standard mortality rate of DKA. If it comes out to be higher than national rate, we need to find the possible reasons and then implement changes to improve this. Any doctor who dreams of making a career in UK should take part in at least one Clinical Audit during House Job.
DIFFERENT SKILLS LIKE MANAGEMENT, TEAM WORK & TEACHING
The NHS doesn’t want book worms; they want multitasking doctors. Your NHS job profile has separate sections to explain all these skills. You cannot acquire these skills in one night. It’s a gradual process, so keep taking part in extracurricular activities. For example, in management skills, you can explain your experience of being an organizer of a particular event in university. It all matters!
NHS EXPERIENCE (OBSERVERSHIP or SHADOWING)
In the past, it didn’t have much significance. But lately, it has become a very important desirable criteria for HR departments to recruit doctors. Ideal time to get an observership is soon after you are done with your PLAB 2 exam.
MRCP PART 1
Among all the things that I have stated, this is undoubtedly the most important of all. Start preparing for it during your House Job. Passing rate is highest for the doctors who take it within 1-2 years after graduation.
Thanks much
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