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As an overseas doctor, how can I register to work in the United Kingdom?
Before you can work in the United Kingdom, you will need to register with the General Medical Council. Doctors who are citizens of the European Economic Area and who obtained their basic medical qualification in the European Economic Area are automatically entitled to full registration. Doctors who do not fall into both these categories may need to show competence in English--through the international English language testing system (IELTS)--and a clinical test--the professional and linguistic assessment board (PLAB)--before they are eligible for limited or full registration. You should contact the General Medical Council for further details (www.gmc.org.uk).
Should I wear make up to an interview?
Only if you are a woman. Joking aside, studies of employment practice have shown that wearing subtle make up to an interview definitely improves your chances of getting the job. Every candidate should at least have clean tidy hair and nails and have used some deodorant. Facial piercings are probably left out apart from small nose rings for women.
When and how should a medical student start applying for off scheme preregistration house officer posts? Finding any information on where or when to look or how the process works is impossible. Nor can I find any relevant information or contact numbers for advice within my own university.
The best way to identify off scheme preregistration house officer posts is to look in the BMJ's Careers, where they are advertised, and send in your application as advertisements appear. Most medical school libraries will have this supplement, if you do not have a copy, though you often have to ask at the library desk. BMJ careers is also available on the web at bmjcareers.com You will probably be looking for jobs which start in the August after you qualify. I am not clear when these are usually advertised, though most medical school schemes match students to jobs in the autumn before they qualify, and I have heard that some of our medical students are starting to apply for off scheme jobs now for August 2004.
I am a final year medical student who has unfortunately just failed his finals. Is there any precedent for students being employed as theatre assistants, probably for private operations? I want to fill in my time between now and November doing something constructive and earning money
Bad luck. Yes, students can get employment, but I think there may be insurance difficulties related to working as theatre assistants. You may know that operating department assistants do a qualification which takes about two years' day release to complete. Doctors and nurses are insured via their appropriate defence society (the Medical Protection Society, the Medical Defence Union, or the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland).
Probably the best place to find out is by asking your local private hospital what their views are. If you want to work in a theatre, it is probably easier to get work as a hospital partner. Other alternatives are seeing whether the phlebotomy or electrocardiogram service or other technical support department has an opening.
The other thing to consider is what you think and have been advised your educational needs are. What did you fail on--knowledge, application of knowledge, behaviour, or attitude? What is going to be the best way to remedy this and give you the most confidence in taking the exam again? Is there a way of working and also learning from or observing things you found difficult in the exam? The most important priority is to give yourself the best chance with the retakes.
When should I consider a career in plastic surgery and what should I do?
The earlier you decide on your choice of career, the easier it is to plan for the future. If you have inclinations towards plastic surgery at medical school, then attachments to a plastic surgery unit in the United Kingdom or an elective abroad would be useful. Any prizes or intercalated degrees, especially in topics related to plastic surgery or surgery in general, would be advantageous. In practice, however, many undergraduate students do not have any exposure to plastic surgery and, therefore, committing at such an early stage is difficult. Once qualified and after completing house officer jobs, budding plastic surgeons must obtain a broad experience of many surgical specialties; securing a place on a surgical rotation, especially one that has a plastic surgery job, is important. Trainees must get the surgical membership diploma from one of the surgical royal colleges and begin to improve their CV in preparation for application for specialist registrar training schemes.
When can I join the medical services of the armed forces?
At any stage into your clinical training as a medical student. At medical school as a cadet, the military will pay your university fees and pay you a salary of £6000 ($9600; €8600). You will be expected to be part of the local university military units--for example, air squadrons or officer training corps. You are then tied to them for six years after registration. If you chose to leave earlier, you have to pay back a proportion of your university fees.
After registration you can join the military at any stage. Minimum service is generally three years, and previous experience is recognised. Selection is by general officer selection interview and then specialist medical services interview.
You can use BMJ Careers' advice zone (www.bmjcareers.com/ advicezone) to submit a career question or browse existing questions and answers on many different topics. A panel of more than 200 experienced advisers are ready to respond to your queries. Here is a selection of what has been published in the advice zone so far
How do I become a medical editor, and what does the job entail? Are there any training courses for medical editors? What cheap and online opportunities are there?
Many people who specialise in medical writing and editing have a life science degree and often higher degrees or medical qualifications, but most training is done on the job. Some medical writers and editors will have conventional training in journalism, which in the United Kingdom is done mainly through privately run short courses or one year postgraduate university degrees. It is easier to move from being a general writer or editor to a medical writer or editor than the other way around.
One of the best sources of information is the Guardian on Mondays, which has details of training courses as well as vacancies for medical writing positions. Vacancies are also advertised in New Scientist (www.newscientist.com) and by the American Medical Writers Association (www.amwa.org). The European Medical Writers Association (www.emwa.org) has a particularly useful handout. They also run courses and an accreditation programme for people wishing to specialise in medical writing. In the United States, the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (www.bels.org) awards diplomas on the basis of an exam; this qualification is aimed mainly at copy editors.
If you are interested in medical journalism (writing and editing for magazines and newspapers) we run a one day course (www.timalbert.co.uk). PMA Training also run short courses on all kinds of journalistic skills (www.pma-group.com).
As far as I know there are no low cost online courses specialising in medical writing and editing, which is hardly surprising since the number of people seeking this training is relatively small.
One final warning, however; unless you end up as a star writer or the editor of a prestigious magazine, you are unlikely to make more money than your contemporaries still doing mainstream medicine.
Tim Albert, founder, Tim Albert Training, Dorking, UK
I am planning to work as a volunteer in Africa this year, what is the best insurance to cover the trips? What should I organise before travelling?
You obviously need good insurance--more than just your average holiday insurance. If you are going with an organisation contact them as they often have their own insurance.
There is a lot to do before you travel:
- Arrange where you are going and get confirmation in writing
- Think about vaccinations at least three months in advance. Think about malaria prophylaxis. Speak to your occupational health department about taking HIV prophylaxis after exposure
- Consider other occupational health requirements--for example, does the hospital you are visiting require a chest x ray or your hepatitis B status?
- Do you need visas? Allow plenty of time to get these
- Does the hospital want you to bring equipment or supplies? Get it in writing on their headed notepaper and contact Echo at www.echohealth.org.uk
- Do you need indemnity insurance (in addition to travel insurance)?
- Get an old passport if possible and photocopy and email yourself copies of your visas and other important documents
- Pack what you need (books, gloves, stethoscope) and what the hospital might want (newspapers, books)
- Confirm the hospital is still expecting you
Mark Wilson, author of The Medic's Guide to Work and Electives Around the World
I am a well controlled insulin dependent diabetic. Would this stop me from pursuing a career in obstetrics and gynaecology?
I presume that you are concerned that your diabetic control will become impaired as a consequence of pursuing a career in obstetrics and gynaecology. In the past, it was not unusual to find yourself working continuously for three days with irregular sleep and irregular meals and performing surgery under stressful conditions. The new deal for junior doctors and the advent of the European Working Time Directive will hopefully abolish these practices. Currently, most junior obstetricians work partial shifts with protected time for rest or meal breaks. The work is often arduous but the hours and opportunities for rest and sleep are predictable. I can see no reason why a career in obstetrics and gynaecology would have a deleterious effect on your diabetic control.
The other aspect is whether your diabetes will impede upon your ability to practise as an obstetrician or gynaecologist. Although the specialty has an increasingly medical component, surgery remains a central component. Adequate eyesight and manual dexterity are essential prerequisites. Providing you remain in good health then I can see no reason why your diabetes would preclude a long and fulfilling career. In the event that you developed complications from your diabetes, there are areas within obstetrics and gynaecology that might be considered less physically demanding but nonetheless require considerable knowledge and skill and are rewarding--for example, community gynaecology, family planning, postgraduate or undergraduate teaching, research, certain aspects of infertility management, diagnosis of outpatients, and management.
Philip Owen, SpR in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Glasgow
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