Posted on 16/06/202011/05/2022 by Dr. Carol Nansubuga — 4 Comments

GMC REGISTRATION; Faith over Fear

The process of GMC registration roughly takes about 2 to 6 weeks for most doctors with some lucky ones even getting it within 5 days. I had anticipated mine to take roughly 6-8 weeks little did i know mine was going to take 8 months; yes eight tough months. This was a period where i had the chance to exercise the following virtues; faith, patience, persistence and the powerful duo of fasting and prayer.

My timeline for GMC registration in summary was as follows; Please note my experience is a very unique one but i believe it will speak to someone out there.

1st November 2019; Applied for GMC registration having collected all the documents required; internship completion certificate, Certificate of good standing, Degree certificate and the IELTS certificate.
21st November 2019; My application was closed awaiting an inquiry into my Primary medical qualification( please check out my blog post”When the dream seems so far”
21st November- 2nd March 2020; Primary medical Qualification inquiry.
2nd March 2020; Primary medical qualification accepted.
12th March 2020; Re-applied for GMC registration
9th June 2020; Received GMC registration.

The two most important milestones in this journey were 2nd March and 9th June. There was a point along the way i though these two things may never happen. I did a lot of fasting and praying because there were many times i reached a point when there was nothing else i could do but surrender to God. This journey taught me great lessons that i will surely use in the next phase of my life.

Lesson 1; Faith can only be exercised in the valleys of life.

Many times as Christians we desire to have faith not knowing that it can only tested in trials. Case in point is Isaac in Genesis 26:2. The Lord instructed Isaac “Do not go down in Egypt, but do as i tell you. Live as a foreigner in this land and i will be with you and bless you…”. Isaac lived in Gerar after this encounter with God. We would expect his life to smooth in this land after all he was living under the Lord’s instruction. Isaac however faced lots of resistance from the Philistines living in that land but this did not stop him from thriving in this land. He built many wells in this land that later benefited his descendants.

Lesson 2; The Lord’s plan is to prosper you.

Jeremiah 29:11″ For i know the plans i have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you hope and a future” This is one of the verses that reminds me that everything happens for a reason. My original plan was to start work in February 2020 but because of the above circumstances this did not materialize then shortly after my degree being acceptable the world went into the COVID 19 lock down. During this time i thanked God that i was at home with my family. I surely saw the hand of the Lord in my life so i want to remind you today that even the delays are for your own good.

Lesson 3; Be still…

Psalms 46: 10 ” Be still and know that iam God”…My journey reminded me of the Israelites in Exodus 14. While the Israelites had camped at Pi Hahiroth, they saw the Egyptians pursuing them and became terrified. They started blaming Moses for taking them out of Egypt but Moses n vs 14 reassured them”The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still,” I had many trying moments along this journey but this verse really calmed me. I was reminded that the Lord works when we are still therefore however bad the situation is you need to be still and surrender to the Lord, he will definitely come through for you.

I have been so lazy to write this article but i hope that it blesses someone out there. If you have any questions feel free to contact me below, remember the Lord blesses us to bless others. This process has been a big testimony in my life because there were so many times i would have chosen to given but the holy spirit kept me persisting till we won this battle so as i conclude this article i want to remind you; DO NOT LIMIT GOD; REACH FOR THE STARS!

Yours truly

Dr Carolyn Nansubuga.

Don’t forget to cehck out my You tube video about GMC registration journey

http://https://youtu.be/3Ti4MZ2Rv50

Posted on 09/11/201911/05/2022 by Dr. Carol Nansubuga — Leave a comment

My PLAB 2 Experience: A Ugandan Doctor’s Journey To The UK

MY PLAB 2 EXPERIENCE.
This post is meant for doctors pursuing UK practice through the PLAB pathway. I did my exam on 3rd October 2019 and I cleared it in first attempt. I scored 156 and passed 16 stations. Well for those that know how tricky this exam is, know what this statement means.

Academy
Unlike PLAB 1 where you can pass with self study, PLAB 2 requires attending academy. However experienced you are, I strongly recommend you attend an academy of your choice. There are several academies committed to ensuring that you pass your exam as this also reflects on their quality and authenticity. Personally I chose Samson’s Academy because all the previous Ugandan doctors had go there and majority passed in first attempt which is what matters most. I went to academy with a clean slate; You know how people send you all sorts of material before academy and they tell you to read through, well I failed to read this material as it did not make any sense to me till Day 2 of the academy. Once I reached academy the information provided was a lot that i didn’t have time to read through other material therefore don’t stress yourself out trying to prepare before academy, enjoy your life while you can because once you join academy it is so intense that your social life will migrate from 100% to 0%. I joined the September 1st to 15th Class, and I had roughly 3 weeks to my exam. Classes run from 10 am everyday in those 2 weeks and they end between 7 pm and 10 pm.

Discussion/Practice Groups

My practice group on a sunny day in the park

As much as attending academy is vital to pass PLAB 2, the backbone of passing this exam is practice, practice and practice. And I will repeat this phrase that while you can get away with reading on your own in PLAB 1 preparation; with PLAB 2 you will need a practice group/partner. I strongly advise that you start sketching through your course mates once you join academy for potential practice partners. It is advisable that you discuss with those on your date or closer to your date. Our PLAB 2 discussion group consisted of four people and our PLAB exam dates were one week apart. The ideal group should not exceed four people as you will then have less time to practice. I preferred a discussion group to having a study partner as this exposed me to people from different backgrounds thus bringing a variety of skills and experience on to the table. We started practising between 8 am and 10 am before classes started since our exam dates were 2-3 weeks after academy classes officially ended. Initially we would let a pair simulate while the other acted as examiners, and as the exam dates approached we kept switching practice partners among-st ourselves which helped us identify each other’s weaknesses from different perspectives.

Accommodation.
You can plan your accommodation depending on where you will be attending academy; Samson’s academy is in East London so living close to the academy really helps as classes sometimes end really late. Accommodation rates range between 150 to 160 pounds per week depending on whether you are sharing or not. Personally I chose to live with my cousin who lived 45 minutes away by bus and 35 minutes by train from Samson’s academy. This definitely saved me lots of money and since the transport system in London is efficient the latest I ever got home after class was 11.00.am. Some people preferred to rent accommodation close to academy as they would practice till late after classes. So you can choose whatever works for you. You will also need to book accommodation in Manchester for the night before your exam. This should ideally be done once you confirm your PLAB 2 visa. A hotel is preferable as you will need the heavy breakfast to take you through the day. I stayed in AIRBnB because by the time I remembered to book the hotel the prices had doubled. The most convenient hotels are Premier Inn and Travel Lodge.

The Exam

PLAB 2 is a subjective exam and this is what makes it tricky. You really have to sell yourself as the best doctor that the patient has on that day and because of this you will need all the confidence in this world. Confidence comes with practice and knowing your stuff; this means you need to immerse yourself fully into the entire PLAB 2 preparation process. The classes can get so long and boring but please stick in there; you will need to know all these cases they take you through. In addition to the material they give you at the academy; make use of the NHS website, this helped in simplifying diseases making it easy to explain to the patient. If you feel deficient in a particular system take off time and read about it as this is key in boosting your confidence. I was personally weak in Psychiatric topics since I rarely saw psychiatric patients back home . I therefore made it a point to give more time to psychiatry and this indeed paid off, as I scored all the 12 marks in the Schizophrenia patient I got in my exam.
After all is said and done, PLAB 2 is a doable exam; I actually preferred it to PLAB 1 as it is more practical but I would not want to do it again as the energy and resources invested into the exam are way beyond my understanding. In summary these are my top tips to having a smooth PLAB 2 experience;

KEY POINTS

Join an academy of your choice.
Practice, Practice and Practice.
Take your mocks seriously as there is a high chance these topics may come in your exam.
Accept criticism and feedback from the Mock examiners and your practice group.
Good Interpersonal skills are crucial in this exam so if possible take a few videos during practice and watch yourself later.
Consider your exam as a busy day in an outpatient (GP) clinic. This way you will be comfortable talking to the patient.
Approach each station with an open mind. During the final days of practice we made sure we have at least 3 differentials for each presenting complaint , this way you won’t need to cram stations.
If you feel you didn’t do well in a particular station, leave these feelings in that room and move on to the next station with a clear mind. You can only learn this through the Mock exams. Chances are you will pass the stations you feel you didn’t do well.
Do not forget to ICE your patient wisely and safety net whenever it is applicable.
Finally be confident and feel confident; Take charge of the examination room because you are the doctor.

All the best in your journey to the UK.

Feel free to check out my Youtube video on my plab Journey

Posted on 03/04/201925/04/2019 by Dr. Carol Nansubuga — 1 Comment

SHAME; LEARN TO DESPISE IT

Your Opinions About Yourself Regarding Shame

Have you been going through life looking down on yourself over something that happened in your past? Have you or other people been judging you too harshly because of what you did? Well today my message for you is Learn to despise shame.

You need to learn what the Lord thinks about you for he alone has a say over your life; In Jeremiah 29:11, We are reminded that the lord has great plans to prosper us; Even our own beliefs about ourselves cannot hold us back from what he has in store for us. Remember charity begins at home; so start feeding your mind with scripture that builds instead of tearing yourself down.

People’s opinions.

Learn to despise people’s opinions about you. Focus on to Jesus the author and giver of Life. Whoever continues to judge you by your past does not belong in your future. Why do they hold you back?; to something you are no longer part of…These are people who don’t wish the best for you . Please let them go. So please look around you, are your friends for you or they against you; Take an inventory.

Even you have no right of bringing your shame against you. You have a job of personally leaving all the baggage behind and open a new page. Don’t let the weight of your past keep you down. The Bible says in Acts 3:19; “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the Lord…..” Take note of the Key word; Repent, turn to God , sins being wiped away and times of refreshment following thereafter.

Your Opinions About Others

We should be careful not to judge people. You too have to learn not to judge people whether you Know their circumstances or not. You don’t know it all. The bible in Mathew 7: 1-3 emphasizes this; “ Judge not and ye shall not be judged ” Proverbs 11:12 furthers reveals that he who despises his neighbor lacks sense.

We should learn the art of forgiving easily,of course this takes spiritual maturity.

In John 8: 1-11 we see the story of the woman who was caught in adultery and was brought to Jesus or Judgement. According to the Law of Moses this lady was supposed to be stoned to death. Jesus in Vs 7 instructs them “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Indeed no one had the courage to do this. Jesus knew much more about that woman’s future that’s why he never judged her. Therefore let us take a conscious effort not to judge others.

Look Unto God

As i conclude this, i need to emphasize that whenever shame tries to bring you down focus onto God; Our God is a healer; a comforter and listens to us in time of need. Find time and relay your worries and shame to him; Believe me he will answer you.

Have you ever battled with shame at any one point in your life? How did you handle it? Do you consider yourself as having overcome it? Below are some links to guide you more into overcoming shame.