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TRAINING AND EDUCATION


First overseas doctors use new test centre


A new£2.5millionGeneralMedical Council (GMC) test centre inManchester opened on Tuesday6August 2019. The centre provides the opportunity to assess the skills of overseas doctorswhowant to work in theUK.


A total of 72 doctors, who qualified in countries as diverse as Libya, Ukraine and the Philippines, will be the first to take the rigorous half-day assessment of their practical skills at the new centre in Spinningfields, Manchester.


The clinical assessment centre comprises


of two practical skills circuits, featuring scenarios to test doctors to make sure they are competent and able to treat patients safely. Each circuit caters for up to 18 candidates at a time, double the number of doctors who could be tested at the GMC’s previous test facility. By the end of August, the GMC says more than 1000 doctors had taken the assessment at the new centre. According to Jane Durkin, the GMC’s assistant director of registration, doctors from overseas make an important and valuable contribution to UK health services. This new centre, she explained, is part of the GMC’s commitment to support them through the registration process in their quest to practise medicine in the UK.


Jane noted: “It is also vital that doctors coming to work in the UK meet the high standards we require and that patients rightly expect. This is a series of robust and rigorous tests that assess doctors’ clinical skills.” Most doctors who qualify outside the European Economic Area must pass two exams, called the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB). PLAB 1 is a written multiple-choice exam, with 180 questions, that can be taken at locations around the world. PLAB 2 is a practical


Staff test a hi-tech programmable METIman medical training mannequin, which will be used to test the skills of doctors at the new facility.


clinical exam held in Manchester. Candidates must pass both before they can apply for registration and a licence to practise medicine in the UK. The European Economic Area countries include: all EU member countries along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Doctors who qualified in Switzerland are also included in this category. Doctors taking PLAB 2 face a series of practical scenarios, in specially designed consultation rooms, where their ability to care for patients is tested and monitored by


It is also vital that doctors coming to work in the UK meet the high standards we require and that patients rightly expect. This is a series of robust and rigorous tests that assess doctors’ clinical skills. Jane Durkin, General Medical Council


OCTOBER 2019


examiners. The scenarios reflect real life consultations, some with animatronic models and others with actors playing the roles of patients. In 2018 the PLAB 2 pass rate was around 66%.


Demand has grown steadily for both


parts of PLAB. In March 2019 a record 4400 overseas doctors entered PLAB 1. In response to this growing demand the GMC also plans to increase the availability of PLAB 1 around the world. Candidates now have more choice about where and when they sit the test from 2020, including: l A first location in mainland Europe, in France l Tests held four times each year overseas, instead of just twice, in 23 worldwide locations


l Tests held up to four times a year in five locations across the UK, including in Belfast for the first time.


These steps will create an additional 1500 PLAB 1 places every year, providing more flexibility for overseas doctors who want to work in the UK.


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