Season 2 Episode 9 - The One With Alicia, Doctor
Christina:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of season two of License to Practise. 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, Christine.
Christina:
Hi. How are you doing today?
Alicia, Doctor:
Fine. Fine.
Christina:
Good.
Alicia, Doctor:
Thanks for calling.
Christina:
Yeah. 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 [foreign language 00:00:59] Spain. I had to study for six years. During those, I had 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 this couple of months before starting 2022. So I'm pretty excited about it, yeah.
Christina:
Yeah, it sounds exciting. It is exciting. So you've obviously done all of the exams and 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.
Christina:
Oh, okay.
Alicia, Doctor:
Where I studied the OET exam. And as I am from the EU from Spain, I don't have to do the club. So that was an advantage for me. So I just had to prepare the OET exam. Yeah, and once I received my mark, I just started with all the papers to start registering with the GMC.
Christina:
Oh, okay. So did you do all your training and the exam for the OET over in the UK?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yes, exactly.
Christina:
Yeah. And was there any particular reason that you chose the OET rather than the IELTS, or was it just a timing thing or?
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, like 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.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
So I just studied the OET, because I thought it could, maybe I could maybe get the skills that I need in order to practice medicine in the UK.
Speaker 4:
Are you an overseas qualified doctor who would like to take the first step of registration with the GMC? Well, one way to do that is by achieving four grade BS on the Occupational English Test. OET is a language exam with an emphasis on real situations UK medical staff encounter on a daily basis. Here at IELTS Medical, we have qualified native English OET trained tutors who are ready, willing, and able to provide you with the best learning experience. We've seen lots of EU and overseas qualified doctors through to a first time OET pass and we'd like to do the same for you. Inquire today about how we can assist you too.
Christina:
And 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, yeah. I mean, I had plenty of time. That was very helpful. I had a whole three months just to study for the OET, but I think you have to have a pretty good level before starting. And for me, it was a little bit easy because my degree was half in English, half in Spanish.
Christina:
Oh, okay.
Alicia, Doctor:
So I took the advantage with that, problems that some other international medical graduates have, like they normally do their career in their language.
Christina:
In their own, yeah. Not in English, you mean?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yeah, exactly.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
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.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
So you have to be prepared for it, absolutely.
Christina:
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. So obviously, you haven't worked in the UK yet. You've only done your placements and your hospital rotations in Spain. Have you been over here for the three months and preparing for your OET, which obviously as we discussed, is a medical based language test? Have you noticed any differences or did that teach you anything about the way that 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 present in a day to day job. 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.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
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:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's good that you've learned that already from the languages answer. You've got a bit of extra knowledge there, I suppose, for when you do come and start work here.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yeah, 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 of life here. But I would say there are 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 I recognized there.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
Just as I said before, the strong work ethic, integrity, responsibility or honesty, and those are the principles that I stand for.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
On the other hand, I'm really interested in geriatrics and the UK is the beginning of this type of curve.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
So in order to become a very professional, I think I need to learn from the expert in these matters and those experts are in the UK.
Christina:
Oh, okay. That's interesting. I didn't know that. So that's the, 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:
Yeah. I mean, that would be amazing.
Christina:
Yeah. Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
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.
Christina:
Oh yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
But I have to climb just to get into my life goal.
Christina:
Yeah, yeah. And I'm sure you'll get there. Definitely. So I've yeah, 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:
And is that a different process you have to go through in order to, do you have to apply to do your foundation years in the UK, or does it not really matter?
Alicia, Doctor:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there are 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.
Christina:
Okay.
Alicia, Doctor:
In order to start in June of that year.
Christina:
Right.
Alicia, Doctor:
So yeah, I'm planning of doing the foundation program, but if you did not get, because in the foundation program you have to get 400 points in the OET in each domain. And in order to register with the GMC, you only need 350 points.
Christina:
Right. Okay. So it's slightly different then.
Alicia, Doctor:
So sometimes, people don't get that mark and they just start doing a clinical fellow. That's just the other pathway and they just get the skills that they need as an F2. And then they start their specialty, whether it is a surgery specialty or a clinical specialty. Yeah, or even GP.
Christina:
Right. Oh yeah, that's interesting. Yeah, so it's slightly different to another, if you've been graduated for a while and you've already done your foundation years.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yeah.
Christina:
And elsewhere, yeah. Okay, 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.
Christina:
Okay.
Alicia, Doctor:
We want everything done in the minute and 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. 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.
Christina:
Of course, yeah. [crosstalk 00:12:12].
Alicia, Doctor:
But yeah, that will be the first one. I don't know why. I mean, I think everyone should say that, just follow what you are dreaming of.
Christina:
Yeah.
Alicia, Doctor:
Dream big, yeah.
Christina:
Yeah. Oh, 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 and you can get-
Alicia, Doctor:
Thank you.
Christina:
... Yourself over here and start work.
Alicia, Doctor:
Yeah.
Christina:
Well, yeah, have a lovely evening then. Thanks so much.
Alicia, Doctor:
Thank you. Thank you so much, Christine.
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 and I will see you next time. And as always, to your success.
