MRCP vs PLAB: 10 Expert Tips for International Medical Career Success
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Hi, are you considering a postgraduate medical career in the UK and confused about the MRCP or the PLAB route and wondering which is the best for you? You are not alone in this. The UK medical landscape is rapidly changing with scarcity of Junior doctor non-training jobs, increasing competition ratio for specialty training positions, and reducing disposable income in the background of cost of living crisis and high inflation. So, is UK still a good destination for your postgraduate medical training? Let’s explore in this blog. We are pleased to introduce our guest, Suzan, who will share his experiences with us.
My Journey
Hello everyone, welcome to www.sherlockofmedicine.com. My name is Suzan, and I am an Indian doctor living and working in the UK. I have completed my training in respiratory and general medicine and am in the process of getting a CCT degree. Last year, I made another blog about PLAB versus the MRCP exam and how to decide which is right for you. Some of you might have read that blog. However, in the last one year, I am noticing a big change in the job opportunities for International Medical graduates who are coming to the UK. In my current hospital, I met two or three doctors who have waited for more than one year just to get a non-training job as an SHO(Senior House Officer) or Junior clinical fellow.
UK Junior Doctor Job Market in Crisis
On social media, Facebook groups, you will find hundreds of posts which are commenting on a situation of job scarcity, and people are applying for more than 100 jobs without getting any job or even interview call. This is unprecedented, at least in my short career in the UK in the last 8 years.
Most of the Consultants who are involved in the process of recruitment are saying that they are receiving hundreds and thousands of applications for junior doctor non-training jobs. Clearly, there is an acute shortage of Junior doctor jobs, particularly fresher MBBS doctor jobs, all around the UK. So, PLAB exam or the future UK MLA exam seems to be a dead end now for IMG doctors in 2024, particularly the ones who are coming without any clinical experience in their home country.
PLAB Exam: Is it Still Worth it for IMG Doctors in 2024?
I used to always encourage fresh MBBS doctors to go for PLAB exam, but now I don’t feel comfortable advising that to be honest. Just coming to the UK, okay, and doing any job is not going to add much to your clinical experience or CV in the long run. The main purpose should be to get into training post and get a CCT because financially, it does not make much sense to come to the UK and work in the UK as a junior doctor without any career advancement opportunities.
This is definitely true for Indian medical graduates, but may or may not be true for some other countries, as every country will have different compensation structures for their doctors. One of the advantages of the PL pathway was for doctors considering competitive specialities like Orthopedics, surgical specialities, Radiology, etc. This was a good starting point, and if anyone would prepare well, they can enter the highly competitive specialities and eventually get a CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training).
Is PLAB Still a Viable Option for Fresh MBBS Graduates?
Now, when getting even a non-training job is difficult, how are these doctors even meant to start their career in the NHS and prepare for training application? They will also need to get their Crest form signing off, which is quite easy if you are working in an NHS hospital. It may not be financially viable for many of you to keep waiting for a job without getting a guarantee that you will actually get a job.
So, if you are a fresh MBBS graduate, then it’s probably best to avoid PLAB at this stage unless you are prepared to take the risk and have the financial support to sustain you even if you are without a job for 2 to 3 years. Despite this, some doctors will still manage to get into the system and build a career in the UK, but it’s not going to be a common thing.
If you are confused and need guidance whether UK is the right destination for you, I offer a one-to-one counseling service for Indian doctors who are thinking about making the move to the UK and train here as a doctor. Me and my friend Bivor, who is an emergency medicine consultant in the UK, offer personalized advice after reviewing your CV and your personal circumstances. We can advise you if UK is the right destination for your post-graduate career or you are better off staying back in India without thinking about coming to the UK. Please do fillup the form to get a 1 to1 appointment.
Beyond PLAB: Alternative UK Career Paths
The reality of life is when one door closes, then another door opens. Though there is job scarcity at the junior level, middle-grade or regist jobs are for the experienced doctors who have completed training in their home countries and passed the relevant Royal College exams. This is the pathway I personally used when I came to the UK from India, and still, there are NHS jobs available for registered doctors as well as consultant doctors.
Over the last 3 or 4 months, I am seeing more and more Indian doctors getting CESR and working as consultants in the UK. I made a blog with Dr. Bishwas, who is one of my MBBS batchmates. He came to the UK after completing super specialty training in India and has completed his CESR recently.
I met another Indian doctor recently, he’s an orthopedician who got CESR and is eligible to practice as a consultant in the UK. Another Indian radiologist contacted me after seeing one of my blogs, and he is now working as a consultant with his wife, who is an ophthalmologist who managed to get into Ophthalmology training in the UK after doing MS from India. This week, I met another Indian doctor couple from West Bengal, both are pathologists and have started working as consultants in the UK within the last one year.
UK Medical Career Advice
So, at one end, we are seeing scarcity of Junior doctor posts after PLAB, and on the other hand, we are seeing more and more opportunities, including CESR, for experienced doctors. You might know that the CESR process is being changed to a portfolio pathway, and the process might be more streamlined and easier to navigate than the current existing processes. This means it might be a sensible option for international doctors with years of experience and postgraduate training in their home country to come to the UK and then become a consultant by alternate routes and avoid the traditional CCT pathway.
This is again dependent on a few variables, but the two main prerequisites are:
- You should be trained in your specialty
- you need an extremely supportive department and supervisor to help you navigate the CESR pathway.
If you have any plans to come to the UK as a doctor, it appears that doing PG training in your home country and passing the UK Royal College exams, like MRCP, side by side are better options in 2024 than going for the PLAB exam.
I hope you will find this blog helpful, and this will help you plan your career moves better. Please drop your questions in the comment section below, and don’t forget to share this blog to your friends. If you need further personalized guidance, then please check out the form.
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