Helen's Blog : A Malaysian Doctor (IMG) to UK Journey

This post aims to share my personal experience.  When I plan to hand in my resignation letter to KKM, I talked to a few of my friends and asked them for their opinion and sample letters.  My advice Before resigning, there are a few steps that you should be aware of.  1.  Talk to yourself, your parents, friend, and family: understand your situation and consequences/ impact of your resignation   - to make sure you are doing the right decision and this the what you want. This can take sometimes and it varies with personal circumstances. What are your long-term and short-term goal? 2.  Talk to the HR (your PT)  or you can check your HRMIS : how much annual leave you left (you can give either a notice period of 30days or immediate resign with a one-month salary * please refer back the contract that you had signed ) 3. Talk to your boss (head of the department) and your s enior MO that in charge of your department ( Talk to them nicely, they will understa...

This post aims to ease the tense of candidates as heavy financial burden in this journey.  In my opinion,  I will say it going to be 3-6 months' time, depending on  Expenses country currency and travel distance where you sit for your exam how many attempts you did types of accommodation and transportation how much you invest in your preparation - study material,  questions bank, online mock, online course, and academy Salary How much salary per month do you have? It depends on your experience and your grade (Income- expenses = saving) Locum salary               * Expenses in a larger city could be more costly.                *  You can read Dr Oman blog about expenses in UK                          :  http://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2017/06/expenses-in-uk.html   I had shared about my expense...

*Written reflections found to be used against trainee in court  Key Point in Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) guidance - use anonymize patients ( reflection = for education purpose) 5 Components A brief description : what are you reflecting on? Outline the circumstance in general terms. Ensure that you anonymize data. You can describe a situation without including identifiable data. For example use 'Patient X' or 'Dr S' instead of names or patient numbers.  avoid patient gender use broad indication of age instead of date of birth eg patient in their 60s use X or single letter that is unconnected with their names care should be taken when describing very rare condition or unusual presentation Feelings : what were your reactions or feelings to the event in general? Try not to be judgemental, both to yourself and others, particularly when your reactions and feelings are still raw.  Evaluation : what was the outcome? What was good and could have been done different...

  Swiss Cheese Model (James Reason) - used for analyzing medical errors and patient safety incidents  (how harmful events occurred and how they can be prevented) - visualize incidents that happen as the result of the accumulation of multiple failures in defenses - Blame cannot be placed on problems involving just one slice of cheese rather " a system design" flaw                  Taken from Clinical Leadership Solution Ltd (2019). Available on  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfWpMrEOlJ8 . Accessed: 25/02/2022. Components: 1. Slice of cheese - barrier 2. Hole - weakness, which is inconstant as it could be like a hole that opens and close at random cheese 3. Arrow - If by chance all holes are aligned, the hazard reaches the patient and can cause harm.  4. Active error/ Latent error     Active failures: generally committed by persons who perform their duty at the so-called sharp end of the system     e...

 Annual Review Of Competency Progression (ARCP) For Doctor in Training in Health Education England (HEE)  ARCP panel Outcomes: Outcome 1 : Satisfactory Progress Outcome 2 : Development of specific competencies required - additional training time not required. Outcome 3 : Inadequate Progress - additional training time required. Outcome 4 : Released from training. Outcome 5 : Incomplete evidence presented. Outcome 6 : Gained all required competences - will be recommended as having completed the training programme and for award of a CCT Outcome 8 : Out of Programme (career break, sick leave, maternity etc.)  Interim Outcomes 10.1 and 10.2 : to account for trainees who have had disruption to their training due to Covid and/or may need an extension to their training. Taken from :// www.eastmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk/general_practice/trainees/arcp . Accessed : 5/3/2022. Education Supervisor Review You will meet with your Education Supervisor (ES) at the 6 month point of your tr...

This post aims to share my personal experience.    Certificate of Good Conduct/ Police clearance Cost: free of charge when you are filling it online, yet upon the collection, you need to pay according to the method that you are using.  Where can I apply? Ans: apply using  https://ekonsular.kln.gov.my/login Guideline:  https://ekonsular.kln.gov.my/templates/manual/PENGGUNA/GUIDELINES.pdf How long does it take? Ans: It can take up to 2-3weeks.  Be patient. You can start checking the portal more frequently in the second and third weeks.  It is normal that we feel anxious when waiting for it.  How can I collect it?  Option A: Ask someone/ your family to collect it in Consular Division, Malaysia with the appointed letter, and deliver it via post to you from Malaysia. (Malaysia to where you are) One of my friends used this way, as he want to reduce the length of waiting for postage.  CONSULAR COUNTERS FOR CGC COLLECTION Consular counter opera...

  This post aims to give some basic ideas and concepts of leave for SHO in the NHS system. Kindly refer to your trust guideline for it too.  Annual Leave •Most SHO’s annual leave entitlement is 27 days over one year which equates to 13 ½ days over 6 months (which we round up to 14 days) or 9 days over 4 months in addition to any lieu days owed for bank holidays worked or that fall on a fixed leave day (e.g. zero-hour day)               Tips : Maximise it by using zero-days and weekends • Most trust has a policy that the leave application must spread their annual leave across all different posts i.e. 9 days in each 4-month post. • All annual leave and lieu days should be arranged within the ward blocks. • All on-calls including evening ward cover shifts must be swapped. • All planned leave arrangements, whether study/annual/lieu/other, must be approved by the consultant you will be working for at the time of the leave in order to ensur...

This is just a note. Kindly refer to the original article.  Good medical practice by GMC •  Professionalism in action •  Domain 1: Knowledge, skills, and performance •  Domain 2: Safety and quality •  Domain 3: Communication, partnership, and teamwork •  Domain 4: Maintaining trust Source: General Medical Council (2013). What is " you must" and "you should"?  General Medical Council – Working with doctors Working for patients • Professionalism in action o Competent, keep knowledge and skills up to date o Respect the right of patient o Able to justify your decisions and actions • Domain 1: Knowledge, skills, and performance o Must be competent in all aspects of your work (management, research, teaching) o Must regularly take part in activities that maintain and develop your competence and performance o Should willing to take part in structural support, eg mentoring o Must be familiar with guideline o Must take steps to monitor and improve the quality of...

 According to The Health Foundation (2021),  Why need "Quality Improvement"? - giving the people closest to issues affecting care quality the time, permission, skills, and resources they need to solve them - It involved a systematic and coordinated approach to solving problems using specific methods and tools , with the aim of bringing about a measurable improvement.  Dimension of Quality: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and personalized Health care organizations and systems are:  Well-led, Sustainably-resourced, Equitable  How can we improve quality?  1. Leadership and governance 2. Improvement culture, behaviors, and skills 3. External environment  What does quality improvement involve? Identify the quality issue Understanding the problem from a range of perspectives, with a particular emphasis on using and interpreting data Developing a theory of change Identifying and testing potential solutions; using data to measure the impact of each test ...

  SMART goal SMART is an acronym.  A SMART goal is smart because it is: Specific - clear objectives Who: Who is responsible and involved? What: What exactly do you want to be accomplished? When: When do you want to achieve this goal? Where: Where does this goal take place? Why: Why do you want to achieve this goal? Measurable - eg. spend 2 hours each day to write 300words for the next 2 months Achievable/ Attainable (but ambitious) - able to be brought about or reached successfully Relevant (and realistic) - reasonable, realistic, and resourced well before any work begins Time-bound (or timely) - deadline Reference:  Getting People Right. What is Smart Goal Setting? The 6 Step Process to Set Smart Goals. Available on  https://gettingpeopleright.com/resources/what-is-smart-goal-setting-the-6-step-process-to-set-smart-goals/ Hugo. Smart Goals: Example, Definition & Expert Tips. Available on  https://www.hugo.team/blog/smart-goals

  Online Learning Resources 1. e-learning for healthcare * you need a work email to register Link:  https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/     Topic to cover:   Induction for International Doctors - Introduction to Working in the NHS - Social Aspects to UK Clinical Practice - Ethical and Legal Aspects to UK Clinical Practice - Patient Safety Aspects to UK Clinical Practice - Professional Aspects to UK Clinical Practice Doctors in Training Induction - Safe Prescribing and VTE Scenario - Blood Transfusion and Consent Scenario - Mental Capacity Act and Death Certification Scenario 2. British Medical Journal e-Learning Online Course for Healthcare Professionals * You need to be BMJ member.  Link:  https://new-learning.bmj.com/ 3. MedAll  * Free, you can use my invitation link. Link:  https://app.medall.org/sign-up?invitation=npeylu01 4. Pulse Learning Link:  https://www.pulse-learning.co.uk/ 5. Safe Prescriber * You need an NHS email Link:  http...

This post aims to share my personal experiences. Ans: No.  Most of the places in the UK have free Wi-Fi. You can access to wifi when you are at the airport.  I managed to use "google maps" and GPS, with the public bus traveling to my booked accommodation from Heathrow airport.  However, you need to be very careful , not to adjust or close off the "google map" if you are doing the same way as me.  A safer way is getting a phone plan or doing international roaming. However, it is not necessary. You can always decide later on.  My friend helps me to get  Lebara  (cost 5£/ month,  with 3GB data, unlimited SMS, 1000mins UK to UK call, 100min UK to International call, unlimited Lebara to Lebara call). Personally, I think it is good to have a cheap phone plan on hand although it may not be essential for everyone. I met people who attend PLAB2 without a UK phone plan.  You can use it to order food online, order groceries online, order for Uber, and o...

This aim is to share my personal experience.   High street banks in the UK require very specific documents such as utility bills, council tax bills, bank statements, and BPR….and you need to book an appointment to open an account. My Bad Experience I have a bad experience opening a street bank.  Most banks allow opening a bank account via online/ apps.  I download the apps and fill up the documents. Subsequently, I fail to proceed and was required to do a face-to-face appointment in the bank.  I called and waited up to 30minutes to book my appointment yet there was no one to pick up the phone. The staff was working under pressure (just like NHS) due to most of them working from home despite the UK government having mentioned no need to work from home anymore. They are been rude and unorganized ( people who are depositing money in machines need to be queued up by standing outside the bank in a single lane as same as those who are waiting for consultation). They ...