Hi Dr. Arunima, we found your career progression to choose Clinical Dermatology in the UK quite interesting. There is very less information available regarding Pathways for PG medical education in the UK for Indian students. We request you to share the Pathway you took for PG medical education in the UK with the readers on World Surgery Forum. It would be great if you can spare some time in answering the questions below.
Studies at Cardiff University
21 September 2020 to present
Post Graduation
Studied at Manipal College of Medical Sciences
Batch 2016
- What pathway did you take to continue your medical education in the UK after MBBS?
- Is it necessary to appear for MRCP or PLAB after doing the Clinical Dermatology course?
- Do you have to give any exam for English Proficiency for medical education in the UK ?
- What is the fee structure for this course?
- How can you start practicing in the UK after this course?
What pathway did you take to continue your medical education in the UK after MBBS?
I took the Masters In Clinical DermatoIogy course as I was really passionate about DermatoIogy. So this is a one-year course and it gives your profile a weightage in order to apply for core training in Dermatology.
Is it necessary to appear for PLAB or MRCP after finishing this Clinical dermatology course in the UK?
PLAB or MRCP is a mandatory requirement to practice in the UK after finishing this course. Just after finishing this course, you won’t able to practice without qualifying PLAB or MRCP and getting a GMC registration. However, after a Masters one will have enough knowledge and proficiency to practice clinical dermatology post-MBBSin their home country.
Do you have to give any exam for English Proficiency for medical education in the UK?
English proficiency exams like IELTS/ OET is very important as it is one of the eligibility criteria to apply for Medical career in the UK. I chose OET because it is specifically designed for medicos.
What is the fee structure for this Clinical Dermatology course?
Every university has its own fee structure and it changes yearly. It differs Depending on your course and university. I would suggest that if one has decided on the course, they need to check different university sites as the fee structure can vary from 9 lakhs to 60 lakhs.
How can you start practicing in the UK after this course?
The answer to practicing in the UK is PLAB. In my case as I am doing my masters and will have a year of experience in the dermatology department. In the UK, I can choose to practice as a specialist doctor or go down the consultant road which is way longer and can take up to 7 years. It’s not necessary to do Masters from the UK to become a consultant.
You can directly sit for PLAB which is much more economical, and start working as a FY 2 , SHO or registrar level depending on your experience. As I had already decided on my specialty, I took this course in order to make a stronger profile.
MRCP is a tougher exam when compared to PLAB and more expensive but it surely will put you higher in the medical hierarchy in the UK. You can get GMC registration after MRCP as well but after clearing both the steps.
Every specialty field has a different pathway. Masters is not necessary to get into the UK
What is the CCT Pathway for Dermatology?
The following is the CCT pathway:
As you can see , if I clear MRCP I will not have to do 2-3 yrs of int. Medicine and I can directly get into 4 years speciality training. This is where my masters degree will put me ahead of other candidates in order to get the seat. Its all about a strong profile.
SCE derm is a speciality exam which you can take at any point of your medical carrier. It’s just easier to pass after you’ve done a couple of years of training in that particular subject.
Added benefit is that I can chose to just practice as a speciality doctor without undergoing this pathway because of my master’s degree but I will not be called a consultant.
Road to UK is a great profile on Facebook and answers all the doubts students have when it comes to being a doctor in the UK.
I hope this helps. I am still working on my journey so I’m no expert, but I hope this will help the readers .
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