Hi guys, I just got my result yesterday and wanted to write a review of my course in Swamy Academy and my experience with the exam.
Batch - 9-21st March 2019
Exam date - 26 April 2019
I didn’t really see many reviews for Swamy Academy but had a couple of friends who went there and passed with good marks. They recommended saying it was good and since I live in Manchester I decided to go for it. The classes were good, from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM with a lunch break of an hour and a couple of coffee. There were enough breaks so I didn’t feel too drained by the end of the day. Dr. Swamy himself comes for most of the classes and he’s witty and entertaining so it was easy to pay attention and stay alert the whole day. Dr. Archana came to take the examinations with a few other doctors taking other topics. Her examination class was my favourite and I’d go back to her videos while revising for the exam.
Dr. Swamy makes sure that the online class participates actively, so if you’re taking the class on Skype you can always turn your Mike on to ask a question or get a doubt cleared. And you can come attend the live class afterwards too. We got 4 free mocks with extra paid mocks if need be. I found the mock reviews very helpful as well as observing the mocks of others to learn a lot of new things. Personally I think 4 mocks is plenty, while regular practise with the timer is essential for all the cases. The mock examiners are very helpful as well and always ready to give personal feedback if required. We also have a scheduled simman class and can practise on the simman with the heart/breath sounds after the class is done. It’s recommended to take this class closer to your exam date. Other than this there’s a mannequin room for practising that’s always open to students studying for the exam.
After my classes were done I went back to the academy to practise the cases with a couple of friends from my batch. I think what helped me most was practising most cases so nothing seemed unfamiliar while revising. And using the timer is so so important, I cannot stress this enough. We’ve already studied most of this in med school and have the knowledge, our job here is to articulate it in a way for the patient to understand, within the time limit, so that should be the focus. A few other things is keeping the patient comfortable and always asking their opinion about treatment options. These things boost the interpersonal skills.
Before my exam, I was told by multiple friends that it is important to look confident so the patient can trust you. Which makes sense, would you want to go to a doctor who’s jittery and blanking out? So I tried my best to stay calm and smile while greeting the patients. I asked the patient if I could refer my notes and kept the question on my lap the whole time to review quickly in case I forgot something. I even used the BNF in a few stations where knowing the side effect of the drug was important. I tried to involve the patient as much as possible and saw that they were satisfied with what I said before moving on to the next thing. Most of the simulators are very friendly and even try to help you with non verbal cues. I forgot a lot of things which came to much after the exam (of course) so I was worried if I did and said enough inside the cubicle. Which is why I couldn’t believe my result when it said I had passed all the stations with good marks, even the ones I was very sure of failing.
In conclusion I’d like to thank Dr. Swamy and his team, my friends Simon and Mohammed who were the best study partners ever and my husband and family for their constant support.
Hope this was helpful. All the very best to everyone and I wish you great success ahead!
