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Showing posts from January, 2018

Frequently asked questions about driving and car ownership in the UK

THE BASICS Why should I get a car? You should get a car ASAP if you live outside London.  But I can take the bus to work everyday. If you calculate the daily expenditure on public transport (including weekends when you take the train to other cities), you will find out that buying and owning a car will be cheaper in the long run.  I still find public transport better.  If you are planning to apply for a training post, you may get a job in a different city where the public transport is not very good. You may not get accommodation near your hospital and will need to travel for your mandatory training sessions one or twice a month. It makes sense to get a car now.  If you are a couple, then one of you may be working in a nearby town and will need a car to travel independently especially after long shifts. Fine. You have convinced me. What are the mandatory things I need to know about driving in the UK? 1. You should have a license 2. You car must be taxed before ...

Nurses in the NHS

I believe that nurses play a vital role in a junior doctors life. They work extremely hard with a smile all the time. They deal with patients the most and when the doctors have left after their rounds, they are the ones who explain everything to the patient. They play a vital role in the NHS. They have different bands as well - they start from band 1 and go up to band 9. We have health care assistants, student nurses, regular banded nurses, locum agency nurses, specialty nurses and consultant nurses- All of whom are vital to the proper functioning of the NHS. Personally I have learnt the most from the nursing staff and foundation year 1 doctors. They have helped me throughout my journey in the NHS and I still find them very helpful. Here are some top tips for building a good relationship with the nursing staff: 1. Always listen to them. If they are concerned about a patient, go and assess him/her. 2. If they ask you to prescribe a particular medication or even fluids make sure you do ...

Living and working in the UK compared to Pakistan

A lot of people ask me why I came to the UK. Some Pakistani doctors ask me what it is like and what the core differences are. Let me tell you one thing - no place is perfect. You have to compromise on one thing or another. I came to the UK because: 1. I wanted to get training in the best health care system in the world. I still believe that the NHS is the best and most"humane" system - where there is no profit. Every person (British citizens and people on work visas) are treated for free- which may cost thousands of pounds elsewhere. 2. My parents were (and still are) independent and self caring. They come to the UK regularly and have long term visit visas. 3. My sister is also working in the NHS (she came 1 year after I did). Here are some of the differences: Skills  In Pakistan, when I was working as a house officer, I was doing lumbar punctures, pleural taps with proper supervision initially and then independently. I was very good at these and had done loads. How...

Police clearance certificate guidelines - Lahore, 2016

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Here's a summary of the procedure. (FOR LAHORE, PAKISTAN ONLY ) Requirements: 1. 3 photocopies of ID card 2. 3 Passport sized photos 3. 2 photocopies of main page and second page of your passport The Police Character Verification Application form is available here: http://www.lahorepolice.gov.pk/downloadfiles.php Download it and fill both the urdu and english forms.  Attach your picture to the form and get 2 photocopies made. T hen you have to go to the outdoor counter of the police station in Liberty market (it's in the parking lot ). They will take your photograph so you must do this personally They will give you a computerized receipt and will ask you to fill a TCS envelope with your residential address and will send the certificate by post in 10 working days. It costs 100 rs for non urgent forms and 2000rs for urgent processing (takes 2 working days). This is what it looks like: Please note that the rules may have changed, so check this website to ensu...

My advice to doctors who have come to the UK via the "non PLAB" route

This guidance is for those international medical graduates who have not given PLAB and have come to the UK via - The MTI route - Having a post graduate qualification acceptable to the GMC ( https://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/registration_applications/acceptable_postgraduate_qualifications.asp ) For convenience purposes, I will refer to these 2 routes as the"non-PLAB route" When doctors come to the UK via the PLAB route, they have a basic idea of how the NHS works as the syllabus of the PLAB 2 exam is how to become a good foundation year doctor ( https://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/plab/23450.asp ) . They know how to introduce themselves, understand the importance of patient centered care, team work and how to escalate to seniors. These basic things help them to adjust in the first job in the NHS easily.  However when they come via the 2 routes mentioned above, they have not been exposed to the system like PLAB candidates. They do have an induction course and other introductory c...