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Q&A with Dr Kabir, ST3 Acute Medicine: Joining the NHS During Covid 19

Q&A with Dr Kabir, ST3 Acute Medicine: Joining the NHS During Covid 19

Oct 26, 2020.

Hello Dr Dr Kabir! Could you please start by introducing yourself? Your grade, specialty and country you are relocating from?

Hello! My name is Dr Kabir and I am relocating from Oman to join North Cumbria University Hospital NHS Trust as an ST3 Acute Medicine.

What motivated you to become a doctor?

For me, there were many factors for choosing to practice acute medicine. Firstly, my family… my parents strongly wanted me to become a doctor when I grew up. From a young age, I knew I wanted to work in social care and protect humanity and so, medicine seemed like the right career path for me.

Secondly, I had a lot of family friends who were doctors and they truly inspired me to join them in caring for the world’s population.

Why did you specialise in acute Medicine?

When I finished my primary medical qualification (MBBS), I started my internship of which I was exposed to a range of specialties. During that time, I found I was most interested in medicine rather than surgery, gynae, paediatrics or other specialties.

The varieties of diagnosis fascinate me and I knew it was my calling.

Why did you choose to relocate to the UK and join the NHS?

The NHS is extremely established and is known as the best healthcare system in the whole world. It’s always been my dream to work within the NHS as soon as I completed my MRCP exam.

What was your experience of studying for MRCP?

MRCP is one of the toughest qualifications in the world, but for me it went smoothly because I had already fresh knowledge from my MBBS course (which I passed in 2008) that helped me pass MRCP part 1 & part 2 in single attempt in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

The most difficult part of MRCP was definitely PACES and for that reason, I had to prepare myself for four-years to get ready before I sat the exam in 2018.

During those four-years, I completely changed my approach to clinical practice & communication with the patients… I concentrated on every possible piece of (PACES focused) data that could help with a diagnosis and patient management. In addition, I completed two courses for PACES. One was in Bangladesh and one was in India. Both courses helped me significantly to improve my clinical and communication skills.

With the collaboration of my patients, colleagues, seniors, and off course from the recommended books and courses for PACES, I passed my PACES first time!

How was your experience of applying for GMC Registration?

After obtaining my MRCP diploma, I needed evidence of my English language skills. I chose the OET exam because I was confident with my English. A long time ago, I appeared IELTS exam and so, I knew how the exam would be formatted when it came to studying.

To help my studies for acute medicine, I used Facebook as a tool to obtain resources and I practiced for two-months!

When it came to applying for GMC Registration, all the required documentation was clear in the website and it was an easy process.

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When the pandemic started, did this change your thoughts on moving to the UK?

What are your thoughts on the NHS as a system?

In Oman, unfortunately, there are no opportunities to support your career development unless you are a native. It would therefore be a disservice to my skills and knowledge to stay in Oman, because I could never become a Consultant.

To compare this to the NHS, they have a clear career progression structure to get to Consultant and this is what excites me most.

How do you feel about joining the NHS during a pandemic?

I am not worried about joining the NHS in a pandemic; it was just frustrating with the amount of delays that my wife and I encountered. We were offered the job in February, due to start in April but sadly, it is now September and we still haven’t started – which in fact, makes me very excited to join in just a week or so.

What do you have planned for your time in self-isolation?

We are currently self-isolating in a hotel and they are very accommodating. During this two-week period, we have been in regular contact with Phoebe from ID Medical who is helping us get our bank and accommodation sorted for when we don’t have to quarantine.

To be honest with you, Amie and Phoebe from ID Medical are the main reason why everything has gone so smoothly for us regardless of the delays. From securing my wife and myself the same job in the same department and hospital, to finding us cheaper accommodation options in the UK – they kept us inspired during this whole process.

What are your career plans?

For the first year, I want to get settled into my Acute Medicine role and then, I will decide if I want to subspecialise or to continue my Acute medicine role. Once I have made that decision, I will then apply for NHS specialty training!

I would like to move to the South of England in future because it is less cold than living in the North, as I am relocating from a country with extremely hot weather, haha….

Would you recommend ID Medical to a friend?

I would whole-heartedly recommend ID Medical to all of my friends who want to work within the NHS. ID Medical is the best and my wife and I love everyone here. We can’t thank them enough!

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Dr Kabir! We wish you and your wife all the best with your new life in the UK and will always be a telephone call away!

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