I did not expect such a huge response to the previous post! Thank you for all the well wishes and advice. You are amazing!
So I did mention about making a few more posts, to share more about my experience as a PLAB2 examinee. Based on the most common question that has filled my inbox, the most pressing matter seems to be the question of what to do after PLAB1 and before PLAB2 courses begin.
So here are a few points that you should ponder over, and needless to say again, I will not be sharing any exam content.
-
Begin reading up on the teaching material available (importance- moderate). It is helpful to brush up on your medical knowledge of diagnosis and management of conditions relevant to the PLAB2 scenarios. Various academies have top quality notes, from which any is good enough. Please bear in mind that the guidelines will be different from your region. The UK follows the NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines. These are updated regularly, and are very extensive. So whatever resource you read from, should be linked to the guidelines. Don’t try to learn the entire set of guidelines. Just the ones that are relevant. Also, a good site to explore is https://patient.info/ for understanding the management process and the language to be used with patients (use a VPN to access if restricted).
-
Watch online videos of consultations, examinations and procedures (importance- high). Getting a good idea about how the 8 minute session should run is essential. Proper videos give a good representation of this. These are available online for free and also as paid content. Also the examinations are vastly different from other regions. You will have to unlearn and relearn these. It will take time and practise, and is something you can begin right away. Also make sure you watch the GMC video of the PLAB2 exam if you have not already! Get in touch with me if you want my opinion about which specific videos I found helpful. I would love to help
-
Read up the content provided by the GMC (importance- critical). The GMC actually wants you to read a specific set of guidelines very well, and remember by heart. These are called the Good Medical Practise. It is essential to treat this as the core of the exam assessment. It is what the GMC will be looking for you on the exam day. There is an app available for smartphones, called My GMP, provided by the GMC. Download it today. Also, I am also providing a link to a PDF that is published by the GMC on the same issue. READ IT ONCE EVERY DAY OMG. https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/Good_medical_practice___English_1215.pdf_51527435.pdf
-
Read the UK support systems (importance- high). The UK government has an extensive network of organizations and procedures in relation to protect the patients in the NHS. They are either different or non existent in most other countries. You must familiarise yourself with the names of these organizations, what they do, and when to involve them. These include PALS for patient complaints, CAB for benefits, and Social services and MARAC for domestic violence cases to name just a few. You must also have a clear understanding of how different wings of a hospital in the UK operate and communicate. It has a very specific structure, which you must show that you are aware of in the exam. I shall try to compile these and dedicate a post specifically to this if needed. You must know when to trigger each of these, and how. You can read up about them right away.
-
Talk to past examinees/practitioners in the NHS (importance- critical). There is no better teacher than your experience and mistakes. Talk to your colleagues and friends to find out more about how they prepared and what they wished they did before the exams. They can give valuable insights and personalized advice. Practise a few hypothetical stations with them if possible. Take their feedback. Some examinees also provide sessions over skype. I believe even just 1-2 sessions like those can turn around your preparation for much better. I strongly recommend going through a few mock consultations with them. I cannot emphasise too much how this will clarify what you need to do in a consultation. It is priceless.
-
Understand what “interpersonal and communication skills” mean and begin developing them right away (importance- critical). Developing things like good eye contact, smiling, placing sympathy correctly, empathising with the patient, and not stalling, will not be developed in a day, or a week or even longer. It takes over a month of practise to get a perfect lock on those. A substantial change in mindset and behaviour is being made. Most people fail here. Treat it for what it is. It is not a chapter of a book that you just read and become good at. It requires time and practise. There are very good audio lectures and some videos to help you out with getting started with those. After that, practise and feedback will be a must. Make sure you get those done from the start. Again, reach out if you need my assistance.
I do not consider this list to be perfect nor exhaustive. These are just my opinions on the matter. There certainly other issues that should be addressed also. Preparation is a very personalized thing. Issues like English proficiency or presentation may need more work in others. So be reflective of your situation along the way.
Critically, what i am saying is understand what the GMC wants from you first. Then begin preparing. You will be surprised when you see it’s not what you expect.
Again, please feel free to reach out to me for any queries or clarifications. I will try my best to help you out to my capacity! All the best for your preparations!
YOU WILL MAKE IT