Episode 4 - The One With Mohammed Imran, Doctor - Licence To Practise Podcast - Pakistan to UK - OET
** Sit back and listen, it's time for Licence to Practise by IELTS Medical.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-flM5OyqRFM
In Episode 4 - The One With Mohammed Imran, Doctor - Christina gets to know Mohammed Imran, a Specialist Cardiac Physician who moved here to the UK from Pakistan.
Featured Course: OET 3 Weeks Preparation: http://www.oetdoctors.co.uk
Featured OET Material: OET Complete Coursebook for Doctors
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Episode 4 - The One With Mohammed Imran
Christina: Hello and welcome to another episode of license to practice from IELTS Medical. Today we're going to be talking to a UK registered doctor who's been living and working here for the last two years so let's give him a call. Hello thank you so much for coming on the podcast. How are you today?
Mohammed: Oh hello, yeah I am doing good, what about you?
Christina: Yeah yeah I'm fine thank you and so like I said thank you so much for coming on obviously we're going to talk a little bit today about yourself and your experience of moving over to the UK, into practice in the UK so would you be able to start by just telling us a little bit about yourself?
Mohammed: Yeah, first of all thank you very much, it's a pleasure, it's so
honor to talk to you. My name is Mohammed Imran, I am working as a paediatric physician
for the last 1 year here in the UK. I graduated in 1997 from *** in a city located in Pakistan. Since then I have started my clinical practice
and simultaneously I have finished my post graduation from Royal College of Physicians in London. Couple of years ago I relocated myself here for exposure and experience in my field.
Christina: So you have been here for 2 years?
Mohammed: Yeah, I am here for the last 2 years and I have been working, I started working last June.
Christina: Okay right, so obviously you've said you've given us a little bit of the reason as to why you came over to the UK would you be able to expand on that and just talk a little bit more about why you chose the UK to come to?
Mohammed: Yes for we international doctors like me there are many benefits to furthering our medical carriers here in the UK. Such as work experience with one of the world's largest healthcare systems. One of the best quality training and develop development including opportunities to gain speciality affiliated with UK Royal Colleges qualification, and to access groundbreaking research and opportunity to experience living and working in the UK, developing new skills and benefit introduced to new ways of working and a diverse multicultural population with the well range of a health needs. Not only not only is the UK attractive towards these doctors but the UK publicly funded health care system that is a national healthcare system known as NHS fully realized upon international doctors to build their skills shortage gift and to meet the high demands of its services. Even today 26.3% of doctors licensed to practice by GMC graduated in an international community and a further 10.7% of doctors obtained their medical education in EU countries outside the UK. So this is the reason that I tried and finally I moved to the UK.
Christina: Yeah and so how about the last two years being you enjoying them?
Mohammed: Oh yeah I think, I'm very well settled in my field and I'm one of the lucky people who got the job in the field of my experience which I am just using for the last 20 years.
Christina: Yeah that is very lucky, yeah that's really good for you, isn't it? And so did you have that job and before you moved here, did you already have that job secured?
Mohammed: Yes thanks for asking actually I got this job offer in 2016, when I was working in the Middle East so since then I was trying to relocate myself but you know there are some prerequisites and there are some rules we need to follow and the most important is GMC registration and the cornerstone is language exam which is I think most of the doctors or healthcare workers are coming towards the UK. They found difficult, I found difficult
as well.
Christina: Yeah I think so, I think that's the thing that people seem to find the most difficult. So obviously there are two of those IELTS and OET. And you went with OET, is that right?
Mohammed: Yeah, I tried IELTS earlier as I told you in 2015 I was working on that, so I went for the IELTS to be honest, but it didn't work, because yeah it didn't work and in 2018 February, if I'm not wrong OET was announced and then I went for preparation of OET, because it was very much a new exam, and much focused on healthcare professionals.
Christina: Yeah it's specific, isn't it OET is healthcare and whereas IELTS is more generic. So is that's something that you found and better about the OET, you preferred that it was specific for health care workers?
Mohammed: Exactly, despite the fact that there are a number of similarities between the two exams but neither exam is easier than the other one from a linguistic perspective. Both IELTS 7.5 and OET redby show that one has advanced level in English. However I found OET simpler to understand as it is healthcare oriented and test the language which I use in my daily practice.
Christina: Yeah that makes sense.
Mohammed: For most people IELTS is definitely a better choice as it covers most countries and provides a better understanding of complete English. On the other hand as a healthcare professional OET could be a better option as in my case because it contains profession-specific content. So this was the basic reason I went for the OET although I have got all choices in front of me.
Christina: Yes yeah that's really, it's good actually to hear someone that's done both and explained that it makes a difference I think if you've tried both because you've given obviously the pros and cons to both of them that you know, I think that's really good advice, really good knowledge to pass on to people that want to do it and on that note do you have any other advice for an aspiring UK medics,might be thinking about coming over and
getting registered over here?
Mohammed: Oh, I think I am noone to advise them, but for healthcare professionals, those
who want to pursue their career here in the UK, if they have decided already, then it's never too late. Most of us are already in the process and most of them are already near the finishing line. So they need to take a few more steps towards their success. Here I will take the opportunity to say thanks to IELTS Medical because I will just pay all this credit to complete my language exam to IELTS Medical because you people made it possible for me. And I would highly recommend IELTS Medical for healthcare professionals for those who are really struggling to finish their English language exam to complete their registration in any of the authorities like GMC or nursing concept. Because I'm one of the examples in front of them. I tried hard with IELTS but when things came to OET definitely I finished that in a go and that is all made possible because of IELTS Medical. Thank you very much IELTS Medical.
Christina: Oh, that's lovely well I mean on behalf of IELTS Medical you're welcome.
Mohammed: Thank you very much. It was nice talking to you.
Christina: Yeah, it was. Thank you, thank you so much for coming on and you've given some really good advice there and okay thank you enjoy the rest of your day.
Mohammed: And you, take care, stay safe and healthy.
Christina: Yeah thank you, speak to you later. Bye.
Mohammed: Bye bye.
Christina: And there we got an insight to the OET and IELTS from somebody that's studied for both of those and so that's a really interesting perspective to have. And hopefully he's inspired a few of you as well! Thank you so much for listening. As always your success!
