S2 Ep 9 - The One With Doctor Alicia - Licence To Practise - from Spain to UK - OET Medicine
** Sit back and listen, it's time for Licence to Practise by IELTS Medical.
Link: S2 Ep 9 - The One With Alicia, Doctor - Licence To Practise - from Spain to UK - NMC OSCE - YouTube
In S2 Ep 9, we get to know Alicia, a UK registered doctor who moved here from Spain.
Learn more: https://www.oetdoctors.co.uk
Christina:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of season two of License to Practice. Today I'm going to be talking with Alicia, a doctor from Spain. Don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss an episode and let's give her a call. Hello Alicia.
Alicia, Doctor:
Hello, Christina.
Christina:
Hi, how are you doing today?
Alicia, Doctor:
Fine.
Christina:
Good.
Alicia, Doctor:
Thanks for calling.
Christina:
Thank you for coming on the podcast. I'm really looking forward to hearing your story. So, if you could just start by telling us a little bit about you.
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, I'm a medical graduate from Spain, I've just finished my degree in University of A Coruña, Spain. I have to study for six years, three in those I have eight different hospital rotations.
Christina:
Wow.
Alicia, Doctor:
So, now I have the opportunity to move my career to the UK, that's what I'm doing.
Christina:
Great, so are you already living in the UK?
Alicia, Doctor:
Nowadays I'm not living in the UK because I need a work visa. So, that's what I'm working on, I've just registered with the GMC and I'm applying for jobs. So, once I start working, I can live in the UK.
Christina:
Right. So, you've got your GMC registration and you've finished all of that, so now it's the work visa that you're getting a hold of before you can move?
Alicia, Doctor:
Exactly, yes. I have to look for a job in order to move to the UK, but that's what I'm planning on doing at least during these couple of months before it starts in 2022, so I'm pretty excited about it.
Christina:
It sounds exciting, it is exciting. So, you've obviously done all of the exams and everything, everything you had to do to become registered with the GMC in the UK, you've done all that from Spain?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, I actually went to the UK for three months where I studied the OET exam, as I am from the EU from Spain. I don't have to do the [club 00:02:34], so that was an advantage for me. So, I just had to prepare the OET exam and once I received my mark I just started with all the papers to start registering with a GMC.
Christina:
So, did you do all your training and the exam for the OET over in the UK?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes, exactly.
Christina:
Was there any particular reason that you chose the OET rather than the IELTS, or was it just a timing thing?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, I tried the IELTS a couple of years ago. So, I tried to understand the nature of the exam. I thought it was a very... with a lot of topics, it was not only medical. So, now that I've finished my career and I feel more confident with my medical knowledge I thought it was a better opportunity for my English to start directing my English to the medical field. So, I just studied the OET because I thought I could maybe get the skills that I need in order to practice medicine in the UK.
Speaker 4:
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Christina:
What sort of things did you do to prepare for that? Is there anything in particular that you found helpful to prepare for the OET exam?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, yes. I mean, I had plenty of time, that was very helpful. I have the whole three months just studying for the OET, but I think you have to have a pretty good level before starting. For me it was a little bit easy because my degree was half in English, half in Spanish, so I took the advantage with that problems that some other like international medical graduates have, they normally do their career in their... language.
Christina:
Yes, not in English.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes, exactly. So, that was an advantage, absolutely. And of course you have to study for it. I mean, I think it's an exam that maybe a native speaker will fail in some ways, because there are a lot of medical knowledge, so you have to be prepared for it, absolutely.
Christina:
Yes, definitely. So, obviously you haven't worked in the UK yet. You've done your placements and your hospital rotations in Spain, have you kind of been over here for the three months and preparing here for your OET? Which obviously, as we've discussed, is a medical based sort of language test. Have you noticed any differences or did that sort of teach you anything about the way the hospitals and doctors work over here?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, actually, yes. As you said, I didn't have the opportunity to work for the NHS, but studying for the OET, I just realized that the ethics and the humanistic approach in the UK medicine is really important. That's something that actually inspires me and that's what inspired me to become a doctor. So, that's something that I really love from the UK, that the values of the different trust and hospitals are very like present in a day to day job. Like, you have to be very helpful and very empathetic with the patient. And actually in the OET, speaking is something that they mark, when you are doing a role play with a patient that, that's the speaking of the OET, you have to be empathetic. You have to be non-judgemental, you have to approach a patient properly, not just with medical knowledge. I thought that was a very nice skill a doctor must have, and I think in the UK they absolutely focus on that type of skills.
Christina:
Well, that's good, that you've learned that already from the languages, you've got a bit of extra knowledge there, I suppose, for when you do come and start work here.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes, exactly.
Christina:
So, why did you pick the UK? Is there any particular reason you wanted to come and be a doctor in our NHS?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, I had the opportunity to come to the UK since I was a child to study English for a tourist, and it gave me a better understanding of the culture and life here. But I would say there are like two main reasons on one hand, my sister and my partner went to the university there, so it gave me the opportunity to understand the professional values that are recognized there. So, as I said before, the strong work ethic, integrity, responsibility or honesty, and those are the principles that I stand for. On the other hand, I'm really interested in geriatrics, and the UK is the beginning of this type of curve. So, in order to become very professional, I think I need to learn from the expert in these matters and those experts are in the UK.
Christina:
That's interesting, I didn't know that. So, when you do come work over here is that the sort of job you're looking for? You want to work in geriatrics?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes. I mean, that would be amazing, but as I'm a junior doctor I have to start from an F1 or F2 level and then I have to start my specialty program, and I would love to specialize in geriatrics. But I have to climb just to get to my life goal.
Christina:
Yes, and I'm sure you'll get there, definitely. So, I've just realized, because you've only just graduated haven't you? So, you'll be doing your foundation years in the UK?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes.
Christina:
Is that a kind of different process you have to go through in order to... Do you have to apply still your foundation years in the care or does it not really matter?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes. I mean, there are like two pathways when you're an international medical graduate. Aside from Spain, I cannot do an F1 position, so I have to apply for the F2 standalone program. And I have to apply in January 2022 in order to start in June that year. So yes, I'm planning of doing the foundation program, because in the foundation program you have to get 400 points in the OET in each domain. And in order to register with a GMC, you only need 350 points.
Christina:
So, it's slightly different then?
Alicia, Doctor:
Sometimes people don't get that mark and they just start doing a clinical fellow, that's just like the other pathway, and they just get the skills that they need as an F2. And then they start their special, whether it is a surgery specialty or a clinical specialty, or even GP.
Christina:
That's interesting, so it's slightly different if you've been graduated for a while and you've already done your foundation years elsewhere?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes.
Christina:
Interesting. So, obviously your journey is just about to start next year in the UK, which is very exciting. But do you have any advice for anyone that is thinking about starting the registration process now?
Alicia, Doctor:
Well, yes. The first one will be to be very patient with everything, as medical students we tend to be not patient at all. We want everything done in the minute, this is not the case, but that's not that you are doing something wrong. That's just the process and you have to understand it. So, just be very patient and absolutely you are going to get there. I have to apply this for myself because now I'm waiting for the responses from the NHS hospital that I've applied to.
Christina:
Of course, yes.
Alicia, Doctor:
But yes, that will be the first one. And I don't know why, I mean, I think everyone should say that just follow what you are dreaming of, dream big.
Christina:
Well, great. I think that's great advice. Well, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story and advice for people that are thinking about doing the same thing that you've done. And I hope everything works out and I hope you hear back from the NHS soon.
Alicia, Doctor:
Thank you.
Christina:
And you can get yourself over here and start work.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes.
Christina:
Well, have a lovely evening then. Thanks so much.
Alicia, Doctor:
Thank you so much Christina.
Christina:
Thank you so much for listening to my chat with Alicia, I really hope that you enjoyed it. And hopefully as always, the advice given on this podcast helps. Don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss an episode I will see you next time. And as always, to your success.
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