I am going to write about PLAB 2 preparation and some Do's and Don'ts. After passing PLAB 1, I started to gather information from my colleagues who completed their PLAB 2 journey. I also talked to those people who didn't make it on their first go. It helped me to find out what the GMC expects from us.
I realised that GMC wanted to see how we manage our patients in real life. Then I started to watch videos related to doctors and patients conversation. I have also gone through the NHS website to improve my management skills. I also learned their ethics, laws and confidentiality issues.
I also analysed their marking criteria. It consists of 3 domains. These are history talking, interpersonal skills and management. People usually fail due to management. In PLAB 2, management means managing the whole situation, not the disease management.
The situation could be a medical or non-medical situation. To improve interpersonal skills one should always listen to the patients and show sympathy and empathy when needed. The candidate should try to explain their diagnosis and management by using layman's terms.
Also they need to exclude the red flag symptoms while taking the history and safety net of the patient accordingly. One should always smiling throughout the consultation except for the breaking bad news.
To secure clinical stations one should practise a lot. Check BNF in the prescription station. In Simman stations, follow the ABCDE protocol to reach the diagnosis and management.
On my exam day, I tried to keep myself relaxed. Before entering the next cubicle, I forgot about the previous station. I was confident and natural. I just assumed it was one of my busy hospital days.
Best wishes to all the PLAB 2 aspirants.
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