Shall I go to UK as a Malaysian Doctor

This is a very personal and subjective question.

Only you know yourself better.

Advice to My Fellow IMG Colleague/ Malaysian Colleague who wants to land in the UK

Why? why? why come to UK?

 I will strongly advise knowing what you want in your life, as the ground to answer this question. 

Please know the work-life balance, life is not all about medicine or a career. 

When you feel lost, sit down, calm down, and give yourself time to make a decision, especially if it is a big decision in life. 

Search for the information - google and youtube are the best search engine I used daily. 

There are different elements in our life - including family, loved ones, friends, and careers or pursuit of "Me myself". 

Taken from https://lastheplace.com/2021/06/24/self-actualization-achieving-ones-full-potential/. Accessed on 11/8/2022.

One person could weigh heavier on one element over another.

Don't be jealous of other people's achievements. 

Grass is greener on the other side.

Have a goal (short term and long term). It is always good to have a goal. 

However, don't put your life into a rat race. 

My dad used to teach me to take out a paper, and draw two boxes, left ( positive/  reason why you want) and right (negative/ reason why you don't) and start writing the reason out. This helps to see yourself better about it. 

Someone asked me: Why do you want to go to the UK?

There are multiple reasons. 

 1. My alternative plan

As a Malaysian doctor, I had prepared myself for uncertainty as I was a contract doctor.

I would say that if PLAN A doesn't work, always have PLAN B or PLAN C on hand.

You can know my background here: https://helenngjourney.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-me.html

When I was a houseman, I had started to prepare myself and think about the alternative pathway.

2. My dream

Another situation was I have a dream which is to study and pursue oversea experience. I missed the opportunity (to pursue my study in oversea medical school) when I was young, maybe because of I don't have luck or maybe because of my skin color. I come from a big family and it can be hard to request my parents to give me financial support to study oversea. 

Sometimes, our role is just to prepare and let the rest be decided by God/ or by nature force. 

3. Right Time

There is never too late to make a decision in life, as long as you had made it (an act) rather than it is just thinking (a thought).

When the right time, do the right things, you just need a force / a determination or / a decision. 

This pathway, I could say is never easy and full of struggle. Yet, let's stay resilient and enjoy this life experience. 

4. Do not want to regret

I do not want to regret it (do not go out of the country - for once a life experience) when I looked back at myself. Now, I still have the strength and courage to move out of the country. I might not able to do so when 10-20 years later. 

People could get engaged to more and more commitment in the late stages of adulthood compared to the younger part of adulthood. 

5. Financial

I have at least my own savings to pursue this pathway now. 

This pathway could be costly and yet the money will be returned soon after. 

I do not advise stopping your career fully (e.g. to resign) when you pursue this pathway. 

Tips: Things can be done together or with different approaches rather than 'quit' and 'just focus on one thing. 

E.g. be a locum doctor and continue study

6. Support

I have friends who pursue this pathway. I really appreciate them always be patient and answering my question. 

I will suggest try to avoid doing this regularly as indirectly you are causing a disturbance. 

   ' E.g. people are resting and taking a break when they just had a long hours shift, and you are bleeping or ringing the phone, to start typing or texting the question one line by one line. It can be annoying is it?' 

This is one of the reasons, I wrote this blog. I think I can share my experience and the hours of time that I spend on the preparation for this pathway, it need not be wasted. 

Tips: Try to search for information online first, if fail - go to an online forum or platform, last only go to an individual. It is good to always talk to the right person.

If you want time-saving and a personal approach, then likely you need to pay for the service - to get extra.  That is the reality of life and don't take it personally. 

Road to the UK offers personal coaching sessions. 

7. Career opportunity

It is not all about pay, you can google it and you will know UK doctors are complaining about their pay. It is more about different things and different experiences

. 
Does those worth the 'effort and money that you put on? It is not going to be the same answer for everyone. 

Walk out of the box, and keep learning. 

With UK experience/training, I can basically work in most countries. 

Do you need to work in most countries? I doubt that. Some just prefer that flexibility and keep their options wide. 

What do I find as the biggest challenges? 

I have hardly been able to find time for my friend and family. 

I need to travel 13.5 hours (flight) without transit to meet my family, with transit it could take 30 hours. 

Is there a solution? 

Yes, working on changing the perspective of me and my family. 

A close one doesn't mean physical close. We can build good relationships through virtual chatting or phone call.  Be a good listener and spend time with a loved one. 

They can spend 6month's time in the UK for travel. 

Last, Malaysia is really considered a good country. You can enter the UK without a visa when other people are trying very hard to get their visitor visas. 

It is where your root is and where your family/love/friends are. 

The UK is a new environment, with new challenges and new opportunities. 

I hope this helps. 

Work Balance In UK

I talked about work-life balance in another article: https://helenngjourney.blogspot.com/2022/08/work-life-balance-in-uk.html

I am working on my time management. Time is only given to my special person and the person that I want to. 

Need help? 

One of my loved YouTubers; Dr. Ali Abdaal mentioned that we can monetize our passion. 

If you need someone to talk about or you found that I can be the person to talk about, I offer one-to-one personal taking or coaching sessions, with 30pounds/hour.

The conversation remains confidential. 

About me: https://helenngjourney.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-me.html

How to contact me: hhpersonalcoaching@gmail.com

Free source and experience sharing: https://helenngjourney.blogspot.com/2022/02/table-of-contents.html

If you have a group of people and would like to organize a free experience-sharing session. 

Please keep in touch with me. 

Useful link: 

UK Dreamer. Is moving to UK worth it? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYdU6VcKb3A

Other topics (table of contents): https://helenngjourney.blogspot.com/2022/02/table-of-contents.html