The significance of going through plab training courses

Plab training occupies a significant requirement for doctors who intend to practice in UK, being a resident of any other country. GMC plab has to be cleared in case an individual intends to practice as a doctor in UK. This exam mainly tries to gauge skills and knowledge of IMG or International Medical Graduates and also that of the trained doctors. This exam test skills required in managing rare but severe health conditions as well as a series of other health ailments that can pose as a life threatening problem. Adequate training is essential in order to pass this exam. Systematic training approaches from experienced and learned professionals are essential for passing this exam. Thus, it is important to undergo a plab training session in order to pass GMC plab. There are not many institutions that have the capability to provide plab training. Moreover, the available institutions do not always take care of the students, personally. Thus, it is very important to go for the right choice when it comes to plab training as otherwise, it may cause a series of problems.

Plab training centres provide content as well as scope to candidates thereby allowing them to gain acquaintance with the pattern of exam. Passing this exam, in its turn, plays a significant role in helping doctors fulfil the primary requirement of practicing in UK. These plab training institutes prepare course materials in accordance to skills, procedures and topics of GMC plab. Doctors as well as International Medical graduates are supposed to be familiar with GMC publications like Good Medical Practice as well as supporting guidance.

One of the chief issues stated in Good Medical Practice is that every patient needs to be treated humanely with their dignity respected by health practitioners. The plab training institutes usually come with valuable guides who have the capability to give overview of equality legislation of UK. These guides have been prepared essentially to help doctors with issues that are related to diversity as well as equal opportunity.

Personalised plab training courses help in mastering varying aspect of skills that are required by doctors or IMGs. This test usually examines four different areas of expertise. It is important to go through the leading medical journals as questions may be asked of these journals. Four important areas from which questions may be asked can be named as Investigations, Diagnosis, Context and Management of Clinical Practice.

Plab training course is categorised into two different parts: Plab 1 course and plab 2 course.

Plab 1 course: Single paper is present in this phase of exam. Marked by computer, the standard of this exam is set by UK government.

Plab 2 course: Plab 2 course mainly concerns itself with objective type questions. The intention of this exam is to gain acquaintance with communication skills and clinical knowledge of candidates.

It is advisable to get in touch with a reputed institute when it comes to choosing a plab training institute as without getting in touch with a reputed organisation it is very difficult to crack GMC plab.

PLAB Training – Important Queries Answered

Is PLAB Training Important?

PLAB training is very essential for those who want to pass the PLAB test. This test is meant to verify whether the International Medical Graduates or doctors are capable of becoming the senior house officers of British hospitals. PLAB test is extremely essential for those overseas doctor or IMG who need limited registration for practicing medicine in UK.  This test is conducted by GMC or General Medical Council.

Management of severe health related problems, rare diseases and life threatening situations are tested in this unique test. Simple memorising the different medical aspects will not help you to crack the test. A systematic approach is required to pass the same. This is why PLAB training from reliable and professional institution is so important. The training centre should also provide personalised care to its students.

How Does a PLAB Training Centre Help Its Students?

An ideal training centre should help their students in every respect in passing the test. They should intimate their students with information on the scope of the same along with detailed content. The content is prepared as per the procedures, skills and topics of the concerned test.

An overseas doctor or IMG, who intends to do practice on medicines in United Kingdom, should be familiar with the publications of General Medical Council (GMC) such as Good Medical Practice and else. One of the most important things about appearing and passing this test is to answer the questions asked as per the advice given.

The overseas doctors or International Medical Graduates should know that Good Medical Practice emphasises on the fact that dignity of patients should be respected by the doctors. Moreover, patients should be treated as individuals. Once the doctors know these aspects, they can deal more properly with the issues that concerns diversity and equal opportunities.

A reliable PLAB training institute should prepare its students in dealing with the four skill areas such as:

a)      Diagnosis

b)      Investigation

c)       Management

d)      Clinical practice context

If the student can satisfactorily answer all the above mentioned aspects then he or she will be able to crack the test and become eligible to be a senior house officer of a British hospital. These are some of the reasons why PLAB training is so important for the overseas doctors and International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

What Should You Check in a PLAB Training Institute Before Joining?

You should check the following things:

a)      Size of the class – Smaller the size of a class, it is better for the student to get enhanced personalised care. Thus, a student should enquire about the class size before joining.

b)      Personalised help – Personalised attention and care matters a lot in case of PLAB training. If an IMG or an overseas doctor finds any problem to understand any part of the PLAB 1 Course and/or PLAB 2 Course then the learned and experienced professionals of the institute should be able to help the student out in the most personalised manner possible.

c)       Work on weaknesses – A PLAB training institute should assess its students properly so that they can point out the weaknesses of their students and also rectify them.

Experience matters – It will be best if the PLAB training professionals had given this test. More experience a professional has better will be the PLAB training given by the concerned professional.

GMC PLAB – Frequently Asked Questions

GMC PLAB – What is It?

The full form of PLAB is Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board. This test is conducted by General Medical Council or GMC of UK. Objective of PLAB test is to check suitability of the overseas doctors and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) as senior house officers in British hospitals.

GMC PLAB Test - Who Need to Take this Test?

If you are an overseas doctor or IMG and want limited registration to practice medicine in United Kingdom then you would require passing this test.

General Medical Council or GMC is a statutory body that is responsible for maintaining standard and regulating medical profession in UK. If you, an IMG (International Medical Graduate) or overseas doctor, want to take up any training related to medicine and medical field then the first thing you would require to do is to obtain registration with General Medical Council.

What Type of Test is GMC PLAB?

The primary aim of the test is to assess the capabilities of an IMG or overseas doctor, whether he or she is employable as a senior house officer in a hospital of United Kingdom. The concerned examination examines the following aspects of the candidate:

a)      Medical knowledge

b)      Clinical skills

c)       Communication skills

Simply memorizing the questions of previous years will not help your pass the test. There have been certain changes in the style of questions. You have to identify your weaknesses and work on them so that you can qualify the exam with flying colours.

Can You Give an Overview of the GMC PLAB Test Syllabus?

This examination has two parts. The two parts are given below:

1.                  Part 1

First part of the test is not only conducted in United Kingdom but also in other overseas countries. In this part, single best answer format as well as Extended Matching Questions is asked and the total number of questions asked stands at 200. In these questions, around 30% of them are of the type Single Best Answer format. The format of answering is single best answer. The total allotted time of this exam is 3 hours. Part 1 of GMC PLAB test emphasises on clinical management.

2.                  Part 2

This part of the GMC PLAB test is not available in overseas countries. It should be given in UK itself. The form of testing is of the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) form. Part 2 of this test assesses communication as well as clinical skills of the candidate. The most important information regarding this Part 2 test is that the candidate needs to pass this part within 3 years of passing the first part.

Can a Candidate Appear for Part 2 of PLAB Test before Passing Part 1?

No, a candidate cannot appear for Part 2 until and unless they pass the Part 1 test. If you have passed the Part 1 of GMC PLAB test then you have to appear for Part 2 within 3 years.

These are some of the frequently asked questions regarding GMC PLAB test.

PLAB 1 Course and PLAB 2 Course in London - Explained

PLAB 1 Course in London and PLAB 2 Course

PLAB Course is extensive and that’s why doctors and International Medical Graduates require help from professionals to qualify the PLAB test. This course has been categorised into two courses:

i.                     PLAB 1 course

ii.                   PLAB 2 Course

We will discuss about details of the courses in this article. However, before going into details of the course, let us get an initial idea about the concerned test and its requirement.  

PLAB Test – An Overview

Plab test is an essential step for doctors in getting work permit in United Kingdom. Those doctors would need to get limited or full GMC registration. The IMGs (International Medical Graduates) or doctors who are interested in practicing in UK are required to give this test. This test is not easy to qualify. That’s why comprehensive training is required by the IMGs as well as the doctors for qualifying the concerned test. 

Now, let us discuss about the content of the PLAB 1 course in London and PLAB 2 course in London.

PLAB 1 Course in London – A Preview

This course stresses on the skills required by a doctor or IMG for practicing medicine in United Kingdom. Basis of the 1^st part of this test includes EMQS or Extended Matching Questions. PLAB 1 course in London is designed in such a manner that it reviews the core materials efficiently and quickly.

PLAB 2 Course in London – A Preview

2^nd part of this course is designed in such a way that the International Medical Graduates and the doctors get the chance of getting trained in:

• counselling their patients
• conducting clinical examinations and histories
• dealing with different subtle scenarios 

PLAB Training

If you want to qualify the PLAB 1 course in London along with PLAB 2 course in London then you should check the following aspects:

i.                     Size of the class should be small so that the personalised care by the institutes can be given.

ii.                   In many cases, it happens that students need individual help to understand certain things in a better manner. If an IMG or doctor faces problem in understanding any part of the course, the trainers can give individual help to the student so that he or she can understand the issue in a better manner.

iii.                  A good PLAB training institute helps its students to work on their weaknesses and rectify them.

iv.                 The concerned institute should have experienced trainers, especially those who have themselves gone through the preparation themselves.

PLAB 1 Course in London – More Information

This course emphasises on the knowledge of skill sets of a doctor or IMG. Some of the skills included in this course are diagnosis, investigations, management and clinical practice.

PLAB 1 course in London enquires prepares a candidate to learn proper way of diagnosis, investigation and management on the basis of gender, age, symptoms and nature of a patient. The possible question types include:

a)      The candidate will be given a range of possibilities and he or she will be asked to select that diagnosis that is most likely.

b)      After diagnosis is done, selection and interpretation of diagnostic tests is required to be done. Question is asked to test whether the IMG or doctor is able to investigate problem of the patient.

c)       Questions are asked to test knowledge of the IMG or the doctor on drug therapy along with the possible side effects and consequently select the most suitable treatment.

PLAB 2 Course in London

This course tests the main skills including clinical examination, communication, emergency management, history taking and practical skills.