Episode 7 - The One With Ece, Doctor - Licence To Practise Podcast - Turkey to UK - IELTS
** Sit back and listen, it's time for Licence to Practise by IELTS Medical.
Link: https://youtu.be/ofoewCSq0cQ
In Episode 7 - The One With Ece, Doctor - Christina has a chat with Ece, a UK Registered Doctor who moved to London from Turkey and is about to start her CMT.
Featured Course: IELTS Flex : http://www.ieltsmedical.co.uk/ielts-flex
Released fortnightly onto our Apple Podcast, (never miss an episode), Instagram, Google Play and YouTube Channel.
--
Episode 7 - The One With Ece, Doctor
Christina: Hello and welcome to another episode of License To Practice from IELTS Medical. Today we're going to be talking to Ece who is a doctor and has been in the UK for a few years now. Ece actually started the registration process after already moving to the UK so this podcast has some new information, some new advice that we haven't heard before and yeah it was a really interesting chat. So let's get started! Hi, how are you today?
Ece: I'm good thank you, how are you?
Christina: Yes I'm fine, thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this and come on the podcast. I'm really excited to have a chat and see what advice you've gotten here about your story. So would you be able to start with just telling us a little bit about yourself?
Ece: Yes, sure. My name is Ece, I'm from Turkey. I graduated from Turkey Medical School and I worked in Turkey for two or three years and then life moved on and I got married and my husband's living here so I moved here and then I started getting prepared for the registration and everything. The last one and a half years I've been working in an NHS Trust in London. Yeah this is the thing how I came here.
Christina: So you came here before and you started the registration process?
Ece: Yeah I came here before but I just when I first came here I started the IELTS course just to start preparing for everything. So I spent a lot of time with IELTS unfortunately and it took like two years for me to get the full registration and everything.
Christina: Right, okay. So how long have you been over here for?
Ece: It's been three years actually.
Christina: Three years? Oh right okay then. So obviously you mentioned that your husband was living here and so that's why you came over. Is there any particular reason that you chose the UK to move to?
Ece: I always wanted to live somewhere abroad, not in Turkey. I was always very excited about this. And I've done some different programmes abroad. But when I met my husband I researched a bit about the UK and I found out it's kind of easier than the other countries to move here and register here. At the beginning it looks very very difficult actually because you see all these exams and everything. But when you are done you realize it's not that difficult actually.
Christina: Yeah a lot of people said the same actually. But it's one of the easier places to become registered in and to move to. So you mentioned that you were trying to do the IELTS for a couple of years. How did you find the registration process overall?
Ece: So about IELTS I can say that IELTS is the most difficult part of the registration. Once you are done just go on and it's much easier after that. But for the IELTS for my experience I started going to a course in London in central London. Well I think I attended that course for a year and I was thinking IELTS will be okay because I know English it should be fine for me but it wasn't like that unfortunately. So I tried twice when I was going to that course but unfortunately it was a general course so you can't really focus on what you need. So after my second exam I started researching about different courses where I can focus on my weak area so I found IELTS Medical at that moment and I talked to Nonny, she was very very helpful. So I started my one-to-one sessions with different teachers and my problems were writing and speaking and in I think six months time or something like I was fine. I passed IELTS and I was very happy about that.
Christina: Oh right! So you end up being quite quickly then after you start to do the courses.
Ece: Yeah, yeah that's right.
Christina: Well, very good. And how do you find in it now that you've actually got into it and started working? Do you enjoy it?
Ece: I really enjoy it. I'm working currently in Hematology-oncology in a nice hospital so everyone was very supportive when I first passed at my job. I was very afraid because I didn't have experience in that department and also in the UK. So everything was very different but once you start everyone is very supportive. And your rights are very protective and everyone respects your area and everything. So I'm really enjoying it and I can say everyone can do it and it's quite nice to work here in the UK.
Christina: Well I'm glad to hear you enjoy it. So you work in a different department than to what you were used to when you were still in Turkey?
Ece: Yeah, I was working in public health in Turkey. It's totally different. Christina: Ok yeah very different. Ece: Yeah yeah I finished my FY1 year in Turkey and I have to finish my FY2 job here for a year. So it was like whatever I could get because it was very stressful to find a job. But you get it and then you start and then you realise that it's actually okay you can do it, it's not bad. Now I applied for a CMP like Core Medical Training. It's internal medical training. So I'm very excited about that as well.
Christina: Yeah that sounds exciting, well good luck with that.
Ece: Thank you.
Christina: So you've had a slightly different journey than to the majority of people that we speak to. Because a lot of people I think start the process before they've moved and you've done it the other way around which I imagine is a little bit different. I've only spoken to one of the people so far who's done that. It's interesting to hear about it from both sides and that's good. So do you have any advice for other doctors that are aspiring to come and make the move and work in the UK?
Ece: I believe it's a very nice place to work in the UK. I haven't been to different countries but when I compare it with Turkey..in Turkey it was like very long shifts and they don't really care how much you're getting off days but here it's very very different. So the first thing I can say is that it's very good and the patient's life. They're very nice patients, they are always very respectful and they're very nice and other colleagues are always like that as well. And actually it's not really difficult to do it. Like once you're done with IELTS as I said before the PLAB exams are like it's quite easy because you know the language better and then you can move on quicker after that. I can't suggest people to come here and work here, it depends on their circumstances obviously. Maybe for some people it can be a bit harder to move here because they don't have anyone here. But at the end I know many people who moved just alone here and then starting in different hospitals and everyone is very happy as far as I know.
Christina: Yeah oh well that's good! That's good to know, I’m sure that would be good for people to hear. Well thank you so much for sharing that. Sharing that advice and sharing a bit about your story and hopefully it will inspire a few other people to make the move after thinking about doing so. And so yeah thank you so much for coming on and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Ece: Thank you very much, you too.
Christina: Okay, see you later!
Ece: See you, bye bye.
Christina: Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Licence To Practice and thank you again to Ece for coming on the podcast sharing your story and sharing all that wonderful advice. I hope it's inspired a few more people to start the registration process and become registered here in the UK. Thanks for listening and we will see you next time. And as always to your success.
