Are you a medical student in his final years of medical school or doing his house job? or maybe a doctor already practicing in their country but is not satisfied or wants a change in life? considering PLAB and moving to the UK in 2023? Well this article here should answer all your questions.
What is PLAB?
The first and foremost thing to know is what is PLAB? PLAB stands for Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board. It is a part of the GMC (General Medical Council) of the UK. It is a general body that every doctor must be a member of in order to be allowed to practice in the UK. PLAB is an exam that has 2 steps.
PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. They’re both only to be passed and there is no judgement on the number of grades you acquire as long as you pass. We have separate article written on PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 on our website you can check them out for more details.
The chart shown below gives a rough and quick idea about what PLAB is
Things to Consider about moving to the UK with PLAB in 2023
Policy Change
After 2023 PLAB will be changed to UKMLA (Medical Licensing Assessment) which is basically the same thing but with a different name. They introduced this because IMG’s (International Medical Graduates) had to pass both PLAB exams to be fully registered with GMC but UK doctors had to get to the 2nd year of an approved training program in the Foundation Programme (F2/FY2) to be fully registered with the GMC. Now UKMLA or MLA will basically be a standard for a doctor from anywhere to practice in the UK.
Situation of the NHS
The NHS (National Health Service) is the publicly funded organization that covers all the hospitals in the UK. Currently as of now many doctors and medical staff are protesting over their salaries and the conditions of the healthcare system in the UK is deteriorating by the year. Alot of doctors from other countries may still consider the UK health system and lifestyle of doctors promising compared to their own but for many well developed countries, the UK may not be one of the best choice anymore. Do take a look at the conditions of the healthcare system in the UK online and on social media before you decide to take on this journey.
Challenges to be faced
Even after you have passed both your PLAB/UKMLA exams and after being fully registered with the GMC the chance of getting a job in the UK are very slim these years because of the amount of Pakistani, Indian and other not well developed country doctors moving to the UK for job opportunities. You must have done some research work and also have practical experience in the field to be considered a good candidate for a job opening. This means do not waste your time after graduation and keep on getting experience. There are many pathways to joining a residency program in the UK but those will be discussed in another article on our website. You can find it in the PLAB/UKMLA or Royal College sections at the top.
Lack of communication, clinical settings of the UK, and language barriers pose the biggest hurdle to new comers alongside the living style. Although to apply for the PLAB you need to have passed the OET or IELTS language exams but you still need to be fluent in english and understand the emotional language of the people in the UK to be more comfortable with them and make a better diagnosis. The clinical settings secondly in the UK will most probably be very different from the ones at your home country so that is another point to consider.
USMLE, HAAD, AMC etc.
Many other options exist beside moving to the UK. I am sure you must have considered those before making that decision but if not then it is critical that you do because your life depends on this decision and you cannot leave any tables unturned. The USMLE, HAAD, AMC and many more exams for other countries are their way of assessing the skills and knowledge of an individual to be eligible for working in their country. Some of those may be tough for you but some might just even be better. The salary differences, the lifestyle similarity to where you are coming from might just be for you. Do read about all these too. I will have articles on each posted on my website here too.
Things that will make you want to come to the UK as a doctor with PLAB in 2023
The lifestyle and salary
UK has one of the best sceneries in the world. Doctors working here have less working hours and more time to enjoy their life compared to many other countries. The starting salary for every doctor whether a consultant or a medical officer is almost the same so you can start off great and be an independent individual. The weather and the climate both are very pleasing throughout the year as the UK is a cold country. Many doctors from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Asian countries prefer moving to the UK because of these reasons and some US graduates also move because of the work hours and also to have time for extra curricular activities. Opportunities to start a blog or a vlog for doctors becomes easier as the environment is camera friendly and many aspirants nowadays rely on visual motivation rather than text.
Cheaper pathway rates
The PLAB exams are comparatively cheaper compared to USMLE and others. The lifestyle and expenses are cheaper compared to other countries and the taxes are also low but the salary for a doctor is quite enough to live for oneself. Many doctors from countries move solely for the purpose to make a living for themselves and stop depending on their guardians in their home country. The UK is a great place to start your journey even if you wanted to move on to some other place your experience here will help you more.
Cultural Diversity
There is a very good chance that no matter what race or caste you belong to, there will be many of yours in UK already as a working class because there has been a recent boom in migration to the UK for many under-developed countries like Pakistan, India etc. You will feel just at home if you could find the community you belong to and will be able to enjoy your home food and culinaries that many people who go abroad complain about.
The Takeaway
If you have decided to come to the UK as a doctor using the PLAB pathway then best of luck to you. Take your time studying and researching and better your experience and skills in whichever specialty you prefer to work in. The UK will take care of the rest for you. If you do decide to not move to the UK then I hope there are other countries or your own country that will fulfill your dreams. In each case do drop a comment below if you have any questions regarding this topic. Do check out all other articles too because your questions may already be answered there on our website.
