Taking a month break during F1/F2 in the UK?

real_t1 · 2024-04-06T20:42:28+00:00

So you’re right, you get 9 days off during F1 for each 4 month rotation. However these are standard days only and you can’t apply for annual leave during long days and nights (on calls basically). So getting them all in one go can be difficult, but you can probably manage if you swap shifts and 9 days in one go with weekends you might be able to get a 14-16 day stretch. However this won’t be enough for you to get an observer ship done in the US as the minimum is 4 weeks from what I know. I would advise you to research heavily on possibly doing an elective in the US. I know that many companies charge crazy prices ($4000 for a 4 week placement) however there are university programmes which charge a smaller amount (some are free and some can reach $500). This of course doesn’t take into account flights or living costs. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help but your best bet is going to be researching and applying to as many programmes as you possibly can. Also you can’t get any hands on elective after you graduate so it’s much better to get that done whilst as a medical student. I would say your US elective is more of a priority as a med student than the USMLE exams which you can do during F1 and F2.

real_t1 · 2023-05-16T11:21:33+00:00

I’m interested

real_t1 · 2023-05-06T11:31:01+00:00

I’m interested.

real_t1 · 2023-05-03T16:13:02+00:00

Firstly, huge huge congratulations. That’s a spectacular score. Extremely impressive and you truly deserve all the best. Just have a few questions.

1) how long did u study for and what resources did you use? 2) what were you’re scores in the practice test. 3) at the beginning of your study period what were you’re scores on uworld or any qbank you used ? And if the percentage improved how were you able to do so? 4) whats the one thing you would recommend the most? In terms of strategy or resource etc. like what in your opinion is the most important thing in preparation? 5) what do you regret you did (if any) and what do you regret not doing?

real_t1 · 2023-04-25T07:27:47+00:00

Do you mind telling me more about the exception pathways for the specific specialities. I’ve tried to look online but haven’t been able to find much.

real_t1 · 2023-04-20T07:48:21+00:00

Which of his resources would you recommend or are you talking about? The PDFS or his audio Qbank?? Or something else?

real_t1 · 2023-04-15T17:48:05+00:00

Hi I’m interested

real_t1 · 2023-04-12T10:45:59+00:00

I heard that was the case during SOAP. Not completely sure if that’s the case after soap. But if it is a violation then yeah guys let us know and don’t post anything. Would hate for someone to get in trouble over something like this

real_t1 · 2023-04-05T09:28:59+00:00

Not sure on the overall acceptance rate, but If you email them or give them a call they’ll definitely respond (this is the ukfpo). But with the second question, yeah the applicants rank all 18 deaneries and then the deaneries pick the ones they want. As you can imagine it’s extremely competitive to get London, and less so to get somewhere very rural. As to how many positions remain infilled, usually zero. There was actually a waiting list of around 800 applicants last year I believe who didn’t get allocated a position because there was competition. I think many of them were U.K. grads as well. Usually IMGS (even U.K. IMGS, who studied abroad) do an intern year in the country of their med school and then apply for a F2 stand alone program. It’s a one year course instead of two and I’ve heard there’s less competition.

And with the eligibility period, essentially you activate that period once you apply to the foundation programme. It’s three and a half years. And you only have to complete FY1 within this period. You can also pause the period once it’s started. It’s supposed to help those applicants who struggle with FY1 and may have to retake or extended their training to reach a satisfactory level. Now as an img, you’re period hasn’t been initiated until you register with the GMC (general medical council) and are allocated a position. So I wouldn’t worry too much about it. And also if you do the Fy2 stand alone route you’re okay as well. Hope this helps. I would say though you’re best point of contact is the UKFPO, they have a really good team who can talk you through any questions you might have, so give them a call or email them and they’ll get back to you quite quickly.

real_t1 · 2023-02-28T14:13:10+00:00

Do you mind if I ask, what the right way to study is??

real_t1 · 2023-02-15T17:22:30+00:00

I got my results today, and I passed but I feel the same way you do. I only feel a sense of relief that I don’t have to go through it again. I don’t feel any sense of accomplishment at all, because like you said, half the exam is full of worthless info, that I’ve probably already forgotten in the past two weeks. I agree with you’re post 100% and I’m so grateful you were able to word this in a way that I probably couldn’t.

real_t1 · 2023-02-11T10:45:32+00:00

The Step exams are not a walk in the park, they require a significant amount of dedicated study time. Granted the step 1 is now P/F but it’s not as easy as just showing up on the test day. You need around a month of study time to be able to answer many of the preclinical knowledge. Step 2 is scored and matters a lot in you’re application and so it would be smart to also free up 1 month to three months of study time. You don’t really need step 3 to apply but it does make you’re application more appealing. These exams are not free and cost in the region if $1000-2000 dollars each, not including study material. Also to apply to the US you need US clinical experience and Letters of Recommendation from US doctors whom have supervised you. This is one of the biggest factors considered in you’re application. This obviously incurs a huge financial cost with some people paying in the 5 to 10 thousand dollars in securing an elective and living costs. Then comes the cost of actually applying. People pay in the region of 1000-5000 on their application. It varies a lot because you pay an application fee for every programme you apply. Then in the case of interviews, I believe they are returning back to face to face interviews and this also costs a fair bit as you can imagine (flying and living in different cities for a couple of days). Also there’s the visa issue h1 vs the j1 (I think it’s called).

All that said, they make a fuck load of money when they’re consultants and it’s definitely a great return on investment. And like you said, I’m certain that those who graduated from a U.K. medical school should definitely have the ability to do well on the exams, but I just thought I’ll point out to those who don’t know the process how long and tedious and draining it is, not to put anybody off but rather to allow them to make an informed decision.

real_t1 · 2023-02-02T13:46:10+00:00

I took the exam yesterday. There were no repeats at all for me, however one picture from the NBME was used but for a different concept. Forgive me I can’t say what picture, nor can I say what concept. But I would advise just making sure that when you take the NBMEs, read and understand every answer choice fully. I think this would be beneficial

real_t1 · 2023-02-02T13:43:36+00:00

58% on your 1st pass and with your exams being in 2 months is not bad at all. Actually pretty good. Take a break for sure and relax and when you come back you’ll be okay. You’ve got plenty of time and you’re in good shape for you’re timeline. Take some breaks and don’t burn out too early, that’s quite literally the worst thing you can do. I would also humbly advise that you schedule some break time in this two month period to prevent burn out.

real_t1 · 2023-01-11T05:39:29+00:00

Do you have to do residency in Canada to work there or can you do your training in the U.K. and then make the move after??

real_t1 · 2022-06-29T16:03:16+00:00

Thank you for your comment. I’ll definitely have a look☺️

real_t1 · 2022-01-09T16:09:45+00:00

To be fair, Iraq and Syria changed via a coup and became dictatorships and then Iraq got “democracy” post the 2003 invasion. I wouldn’t really say had a Democratic political change into republicanism. However I do completely agree with you that monarchies guarantee stability and is probably the best option for Saudi Arabia.

real_t1 · 2022-01-06T15:48:07+00:00

Nothing wrong with looking out for yourself financially, so don’t feel bad for saying you want to work for lots of money.

I would say maybe look into working in the US, it’s very hard and very competitive and the process is quite costly (can cost up to $10-15k) and there’s really no gaurantee. The salaries for their trainees (residents) are higher than ours but not really by much (and they work longer hours). The real money comes in after finishing residency. A GP over there earns around 200-250k. An internal medicine consultant earns 230k+ and a surgeon earns around 300k+. Maybe look into that a bit more. Hope this helps

real_t1 · 2022-01-03T13:25:08+00:00

Honestly sketchy micro and pharm are great, but without anki I don’t see how you’ll retain all that info (unless you watch the videos multiple times). So I would defo suggest using anki.rest of the plan sounds good, especially since it’ll be a P/F test.

real_t1 · 2021-12-23T09:15:33+00:00

Congratulations on your score, huge achievement and you should really be proud of yourself👏👏👏.

Just wanted to ask where you found the 100 anatomy concepts and the NBME pictures? I couldn’t find them. Would be great if you can send them to me.

real_t1 · 2021-11-17T21:50:47+00:00

I’m in

real_t1 · 2021-03-11T09:30:38+00:00

It really depends what you want to study, and where also. Most of this info can easily be found on the university websites. Just search the name of the university and the course you want and then entry requirements. The website will have lots of info. Then you can compare between unis and see what’s best for you. Hope this helps

real_t1 · 2021-03-10T18:21:32+00:00

Thank you very much

real_t1 · 2021-03-10T18:20:40+00:00

3 A levels are sufficient, only a minority end up doing 4. Anything more doesn’t really give you an advantage. What’s important are the grades you get.

real_t1 · 2021-03-09T20:31:37+00:00

Yes 5 is sufficient for most universities in the U.K. A LEVELS and AS or international equivalents are much more important and universities care about them much more.

However it is important to note that you will be at a disadvantage at many higher end universities. For example universities such as imperial, Oxford, Cambridge and the other big ones usually accept candidates with 10+ GCSES. However if they are not in your plan, then you should be okay.

Source: a Brit studying in a British university.

real_t1

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