Hey everyone! It's Reetu here, so we've gotten a lot of people requesting more specific help on what to say/ not to say for PLAB 2. Needless to say, IPS is VERY important in this exam! I found a pattern in my exam and if I had scored a 3 or 4 in our IPS (Interpersonal Skills) I NEVER FAILED that station. If I scored 2 the chance of failing that station increased significantly and if my IPS was a 1 then I definitely failed the station. I don't know how GMC grades, but I do think this pattern exists. If you're a safe doctor, with good IPS you won't fail.
These are some of the things key things I followed (:
1) Don't talk more than the patient
2) Always come in introduce your self and ask HOW ARE YOU ... Don't jump to name and age
3) First question- what can I do to help you today?
4) After whatever presenting complaint the patient gives you respond with EMPATHY- "Well I'm glad you came into see us today, we're gonna do everything we can to make you feel better".
5) If the patient is angry, you need to calm them FIRST then proceed with the history. - "I can see you have a lot of concerns/ lots of things on your mind. Let me reassure you, we're going to answer all your questions. But do you mind telling me what's bothering you the most and we'll take it from there? How does that sound?" When you practice angry patient stations with your friends, you tend to exaggerate. The actors in the exam are angry, but they WILL calm down if you say the right thing. They understand you have a time limit and they're NOT TRYING TO FAIL YOU.
6) Please avoid such cliche phrases - "I'm sorry" + "I understand"
7) Avoid time-consuming, pointless words such as "Okay" + "Alright" - these just sound neutral and monotone and NOT reassuring.
8) Please smile, you'd be surprised how helpful it is to smile
REMEMBER YOU'RE NOT A ROBOT. You can still fail the station even if you ask all the right questions and make the right diagnosis. Just like you can pass a station even without giving an exact diagnosis. Unless you have a histopathology report in your hand or labs don't give a definite diagnosis. Your job is to make the patient COMFORTABLE, address their CONCERNS/QUESTIONS, help them UNDERSTAND their diagnosis, and EXPLORE their treatment options.
If you want any other helpful phrases or general help or if you want help regarding telephone stations, please send us an email! All the best future Plabbers you're almost done!
