TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Facts and figures Candidates
l In 2018, There were 7559 PLAB 1 assessments and 5,229 PLAB 2 assessments taken
l Candidates came from 122 countries l The top 10 countries where PLAB candidates gained their primary medical qualification were: Country Nigeria
Pakistan India Egypt Sudan
Bangladesh China
Ukraine Myanmar United Arab Emirates
PLAB exams
l PLAB 2 is pitched at the level of a Foundation Year 2 doctor on their first day
l A sampling grid sets out the range of stations that will be used on each test day
Number of tests 3523 2120 1560 967 419 399 370 332 261 185
l Pass rates: In 2018, pass rates for PLAB 1 - 69%. In 2018, pass rates for PLAB 2 - 66%.
On Tuesday 6 August 2019 – the first fully functioning day of the new clinical assessment centre (CAC), 72 overseas doctors are registered to undertake PLAB 2 The countries with the most candidates on 6 August are, listed with highest numbers first:
Nigeria Pakistan
India & Egypt China
Part 2 of the PLAB test costs £860. For refugee doctors living in the UK, the fee for part 2 is reduced by 50% for their first two attempts at PLAB 2
week, to give herself some time before the PLAB 2 exam. Reem arrives at the GMC offices in Spinningfields, Manchester, along with 30 other doctors from different countries. Reem is nervous but manages to focus and undergoes the test to the best of her ability
l Nov 2018 – Back in Iraq, Reem waits until the Wednesday of the fourth week after her test for her results. Reem has passed. (If a doctor does not pass PLAB 2, they can
l The exam takes three hours and 10 minutes. There are 18 ’live’ stations and two rest stations. Each station takes 8 minutes to complete with 90 seconds reading time at each station.
Each station is assessed based on the candidate’s performance in three domains: l Data gathering, technical and assessment skills
l Clinical management skills l Interpersonal skills.
From the 1970s up to the end of 1997 the PLAB exam consisted of three written papers and a 20-minute oral examination, taken as one part. The GMC piloted the first PLAB Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in April 1998. On 1 October 1998 the first live OSCE was introduced with 12 stations and 2 rest stations l PLAB 1 is a written test of applied medical knowledge. PLAB 2 is a test of clinical skills. So, they test very different constructs
l There are over 300 stations and we add new stations every month (and delete old ones). A different selection of stations is used every day.
Role players
The role players are trained actors who take on the role of patients and some healthcare professionals in the PLAB 2 exams. They are actors but this is different to acting as
book to take the exam again provided they meet all the requirements. They can attempt the exam a maximum of four times)
l Nov 2018 – Having passed, Reem applies to the GMC for registration with a licence to practise. (To practise medicine in the UK doctors, need to hold registration with a licence to practise. Holding a licence allows doctors to prescribe medicine and treat patients)
Our new assessment centre, and the changes we are making to increase theavailability of the tests, will help the UK get the doctors it needs and who can provide high quality care to patients. Jane Durkin, General Medical Council
OCTOBER 2019
there is they need to respond to the examinee in an authentic way. Some of the role players have regular work across theatre and television.
Examiners
l On an exam day, the GMC has 36 examiners, two to four invigilators and one chief examiner
l Examiners are practising doctors. The GMC recruits them in various ways, including its own recruitment pages, and advertising with medical royal colleges, trade press, national press etc
l The length of the PLAB process very much depends on the individual. However, once a candidate has passed PLAB 1, they must pass PLAB 2 within two years. PLAB 2 is then valid for two years. A candidate can have up to four attempts at each exam. PLAB 1 is held four times per year (March, June, September, November) at a range of venues around the world
l Doctors can appeal the result but must do so within 10 working days of the release of the results.
GMC’s new clinical assessment centre
l The centre has been constructed to look like a hospital ward and the exam aims to reflect real life settings - and so the circuits reflect a clinical setting
l Some countries do have similar assessment - for example, in America there is the United States Medical Licensing Examination
l To transform what was office space into the assessment centre, work started in February 2019 and was mostly completed by early June 2019.
l January 2019 – Reem travels to Manchester, UK for an identity check with the GMC. Reem presents all her supporting material successfully and registration is completed. She can now begin working as a doctor in the UK.
Jane Durkin added: “Recruiting enough doctors, with the right skills, is vital for health services in all four UK countries. It is important that we provide a route for those doctors who want to work here to do so. “Our new assessment centre, and the changes we are making to increase the availability of the tests, will help the UK get the doctors it needs and who can provide high quality care to patients.” For doctors who pass the PLAB assessments, the GMC provides free workshops to help them settle into medical careers in the UK. More than 8000 overseas-trained doctors have attended a half-day Welcome to UK practice workshop since they began in 2013. CSJ
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