Hey everyone! Hope everyone's staying safe during the lockdown! Its Reetu, here again, to share some exam day tips with you (:
So PLAB 2 the exam day is AS important, if not MORE Important than your preparation time. This exam requires skilful thinking and EXECUTION of that knowledge. Since you will be critiqued from the moment you enter the examination room its important to make a GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION. Remember you have ONLY 8 MINS to convince the examiner and patient that you are a SAFE, COMPASSIONATE, SMART GMC WORTHY DOCTOR! Every second counts!
Here is some helpful advice I have gathered from various helpful seniors, friends and my own personal experiences.
ADVICE FOR THE DAY OF THE EXAM
TRANSPORT: Book a taxi at a nice and early time. Taxis can be booked in Manchester using UBER or FREE NOW apps.
MASK: Since August 2020 despite COVID-19 you are not required to wear a mask. So examiners have the opportunity to see the EMPATHY on your FACE! Use this to your advantage!
DRESSING/HYGIENE: I know this may seem silly, but in the stress of the exam a lot of people forget the simple things. So this is just a friendly reminder (: Please shower and wear deodorant, when we get nervous, we sweat and sweaty people don't smell good! Be CLEAN. Pop in some breath mints before.
Look the part of the job you want, which is a GMC doctor.
DON’T WEAR A WHITE COAT.
JEWELLERY: Don’t wear watches. Only wedding/engagement rings are allowed. Girls can wear a simple necklace and earrings, nothing too big or flashy please.
BOYS -shave/ trim your beards and hair. Formal pants/trousers, formal shoes, black or navy socks not the white ankle socks. Have a belt, tuck in your shirt, and tie is optional. Roll up your sleeves as official NHS guidelines say nothing should be worn below the elbow. Have your clothes ironed and spray some perfume on them.
GIRLS- please tie your hair out of your face unless it's short (above your shoulder length). Don't have multiple loose strands falling around your face. It's unprofessional. Do wear some makeup, not a lot, put some minimal amount. In many western countries make up is a part of looking professional, even though in many Asian countries it is looked down upon to wear makeup to work. Maybe some neutral tone lipstick and some mascara. Make sure it's not overdone. If you are wearing a skirt or dress, make sure it is knee length, if it's shorter please wear stockings/ pantyhose. Closed toe shoes are necessary. Don't wear high heels you're not comfortable walking in. Boots are acceptable as well, as long as they are ankle booties. It is not necessary to wear only formal button-down shirts, Vaanathi and I both wore formal blouses. Make sure your shirt/ blouse has a higher neckline, as you may bend to do certain procedures/ examinations. Again, sleeves should be rolled up or wear a short sleeve one.
SMILE- while entering every room unless it's a bad news station. A smile goes a long way. It instantly makes the patient feel more comfortable and makes you, the doctor, seem more approachable. Greet the patient and say “hello, how are you?” and if they say "I'm fine doctor, how are you" please respond back to them "thank you for asking I'm great. May I just confirm your name and age before we start?" . Don't just rush and say “I am Dr. XYZ, what is your name and age”, you're not a robot.
POSTURE- sit straight, don't slouch and don't lean too close to the patient. If you need to approach them closely for examinations- give them a warning “In order to examine you better, I'll get real close so if at any point you feel uncomfortable, please do let me know”- say this even on a mannequin examination. Please don't cross your legs one on top of the other. Don't keep tapping your leg or crack your knuckles. Do not move your hands around a lot or shake your legs.
EYE CONTACT- maintain eye contact but don't stare at them for the full 8 mins that may get to be uncomfortable.
THANK YOU- please do thank the patient and examiner, whoever is in the room, before you leave the room after each case. Be polite and smile. Be sure to thank all the staff members who have helped direct you during the exam day. Do not ignore the people around you, everyone has worked hard to conduct the exams.
Again please no fake accents they are very off-putting and obvious. It's okay if you need to ask the patient to repeat something once. Don't repeatedly keep asking the patient to repeat because that will lower your IPS scores, as listening is a component of it. Better to understand them than assume what they said.
BREAK/ REST STATIONS- during this time it's important to stay MOTIVATED, you need to be your own cheerleader. Keep encouraging yourself, “ You can do this, it's going to be fine, just X number of stations left, your halfway there, the next station will be better”. If you need to go to the bathroom do so, they will send someone to come and get you. You have ample time for that. I suggest drinking some water, as talking for 3 hours straight will make your mouth dry. There are little cookies at each rest station so please snack if you're feeling hungry/hypoglycemic. I walked around in the little room, just to stretch my legs and keep myself active and alert. Others have taken this time to pray, meditate or just relax. What you should NOT DO is rethink and analyze all the stations you have done before, especially if you think you have done bad. Thinking about what has happened wont change the station, rather it will negatively affect your upcoming stations. What has happened is done, you can't change the past, but you can change the future stations, so FOCUS ON THE UPCOMING STATIONS.
You've done all the hard work for this day, don't worry. STAY CALM, FOCUSED, and BREATH! don't get tense. If you seem tense, trust me, the patient + examiner will know. We all know how it feels when someone who is scared/tense enters the room, the whole atmosphere changes! It's important to stay CALM and CONFIDENT! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! YOU HAVE COME SO FAR (: AND YOU WILL SUCCEED IN THIS TOO!
