Professional And Linguistic Assessments Board Research Articles

Obituary Dr Christine Costello: MBChB, DRCOG, FRCP, FRCPath 29 August 1945-31 December 2021.

Obituary Dr Christine Costello: MBChB, DRCOG, FRCP, FRCPath 29 August 1945-31 December 2021.

Validation of the General Medicine in-Training Examination Using the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board Examination Among Postgraduate Residents in Japan.

PurposeIn Japan, the General Medicine In-training Examination (GM-ITE) was developed by a non-profit organization in 2012. The GM-ITE aimed to assess the general clinical knowledge among residents and to improve the training programs; however, it has not been sufficiently validated and is not used for high-stake decision-making. This study examined the association between GM-ITE and another test measure, the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) 1 examination.MethodsNinety-seven residents who completed the GM-ITE in fiscal year 2019 were recruited and took the PLAB 1 examination in Japanese. The association between two tests was assessed using the Pearson product-moment statistics. The discrimination indexes were also assessed for each question.ResultsA total of 91 residents at 17 teaching hospitals were finally included in the analysis, of whom 69 (75.8%) were women and 59 (64.8%) were postgraduate second year residents. All the participants were affiliated with community hospitals. Positive correlations were demonstrated between the GM-ITE and the PLAB scores (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). The correlations between the PLAB score and the scores in GM-ITE categories were as follows: symptomatology/clinical reasoning (r = 0.54, p < 0.001), physical examination/procedure (r = 0.38, p < 0.001), medical interview/professionalism (r = 0.25, p < 0.001), and disease knowledge (r = 0.36, p < 0.001). The mean discrimination index of each question of the GM-ITE (mean ± SD; 0.23 ± 0.15) was higher than that of the PLAB (0.16 ± 0.16; p = 0.004).ConclusionThis study demonstrates incremental validity evidence of the GM-ITE to assess the clinical knowledge acquisition. The results indicate that GM-ITE can be widely used to improve resident education in Japan.

Analysis of Preparatory Courses for the Practical Component of the PLAB Exam for International Medical Graduates in the UK.

BackgroundMedical workforce shortages are a major threat to the future of the UK National Health Service (NHS) and countless other healthcare systems globally. Reliance on international medical graduates is likely to continue and may increase, although these doctors face many educational and professional challenges. The Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test, delivered by the General Medical Council (GMC), is the “gateway” exam that doctors must pass through in order to practice in the UK. Despite the central importance of this exam, no official or accredited training courses are provided or approved by the GMC.MethodsThis study used online and social media searches to identify and categorise preparatory courses available for the practical (clinical) component of the PLAB assessment.ResultsA total of 13 courses were identified, delivered predominantly in the cities of Manchester and London, ranging from 1 to 28 days in duration and from £24.99 to £649.99 in cost. Most courses were organised by previous PLAB candidates and websites focussed on testimonials from previous participants rather than educational credentials or professional clinical experience of teachers running the courses. Courses were all provided by private education companies, and none were delivered by universities or National Health Service organisations.DiscussionA variety of preparatory services and courses exist for the PLAB assessment, although the public information about them is variable and limited. Further research is required to examine the quality of these courses and the potential for alternative avenues of training for international medical graduates preparing to practice in the UK.

Predicting fitness to practise events in international medical graduates who registered as UK doctors via the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) system: a national cohort study

BackgroundInternational medical graduates working in the UK are more likely to be censured in relation to fitness to practise compared to home graduates. Performance on the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) tests and English fluency have previously been shown to predict later educational performance in this group of doctors. It is unknown whether the PLAB system is also a valid predictor of unprofessional behaviour and malpractice. The findings would have implications for regulatory policy.MethodsThis was an observational study linking data relating to fitness to practise events (referral or censure), PLAB performance, demographic variables and English language competence, as evaluated via the International English Language Test System (IELTS). Data from 27,330 international medical graduates registered with the GMC were analysed, including 210 doctors who had been sanctioned in relation to at least one fitness to practise issue. The main outcome was risk of eventual censure (including a warning).ResultsThe significant univariable educational predictors of eventual censure (versus no censures or referrals) were lower PLAB part 1 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.98 to 1.00) and part 2 scores (HR, 0.94; 0.91 to 0.97) at first sitting, multiple attempts at both parts of the PLAB, lower IELTS reading (HR, 0.79; 0.65 to 0.94) and listening scores (HR, 0.76; 0.62 to 0.93) and higher IELTS speaking scores (HR, 1.28; 1.04 to 1.57). Multiple resits at either part of the PLAB and higher IELTS speaking score (HR, 1.49; 1.20 to 1.84) were also independent predictors of censure. We estimated that the proposed limit of four attempts at both parts of the PLAB would reduce the risk in this entire group by only approximately two censures per 5 years in this group of doctors.ConclusionsMaking the PLAB, or any replacement assessment, more stringent and raising the required standards of English reading and listening may result in fewer fitness to practice events in international medical graduates. However, the number of PLAB resits permitted would have to be further capped to meaningfully impact the risk of sanctions in this group of doctors.

Test for overseas doctors will be strengthened, says GMC

The General Medical Council (GMC) has said that it will strengthen its test for international doctors who want to work in the UK. Changes are being made to the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test after recommendations from an independent review commissioned by the GMC.1 The test is taken by international medical graduates to assess whether they have the knowledge and skills to practise in the UK. It consists of a written knowledge test and …

Overseas doctors to face tougher GMC licensing exam

International medical graduates will have to pass a tougher licensing examination if they wish to practise medicine in the UK, the General Medical Council has announced. The GMC has accepted the recommendations of a panel that was established to review the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test.1 The test is a two part language and clinical competency examination for international medical graduates wishing to register with the GMC. The panel, led by Ian Cumming, chief executive of Health Education England, recommended that the test include a broader assessment of ethical values, perhaps by using a situational judgment test. It also said …

Academic performance of ethnic minority candidates and discrimination in the MRCGP examinations between 2010 and 2012: analysis of data

Objective To determine the difference in failure rates in the postgraduate examination of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) by ethnic or national background, and to identify factors associated...

GMC to consider using PLAB as national exam for new doctors

The General Medical Council is to consider using the professional and linguistic assessments board (PLAB) test should it choose to introduce a national exam for medical students or foundation doctors. In January the NHS Future Forum recommended that the GMC “should lead discussions on the desirability of implementing …

GMC reviews language and competency test for non-European doctors

The General Medial Council has announced a review of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test sat by non-European doctors who wish to join the medical register and work in the United Kingdom. The PLAB test assesses the clinical competence and communication skills of doctors who qualified outside …

International medical graduates in the National Health Service

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has benefited from the skills of foreign qualified doctors for many years. International medical graduates (IMGs) - that is, those doctors with primary medical qualifications outside the European Economic Area (EEA) - have come to the UK despite the significant personal and financial costs, alongside the burden of taking the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examination. Despite the costs and increasing indications that the UK job market was becoming saturated with the increased indigenous medical school output and expansion of the EEA, doctors still migrate to the UK in their thousands (McGinn, 2005). The government's active international recruitment policy, which continued until very recently despite the significant increase in places in UK medical schools, was partially responsible for this trend. Until last year, once registered to practise in the UK, access to specialty training was facilitated by the permit-free training visa (PFTV) system, which allowed IMGs to work and train simultaneously, without the need for a work permit. This meant that they could compete on an equal footing with UK graduates for training opportunities in the UK. The implementation and potential impact of some of the recent policy changes in the NHS specifically with regard to IMGs is discussed here briefly.

What the PLAB did not teach me

What the PLAB did not teach me

Medical IELTS: A Workbook for International Doctors and PLAB Candidates

The native English speaker, particularly if monolingual, should be thoroughly humbled by the awesome task which faces many potential colleagues from overseas in acquiring sufficient English language skills to work in the NHS. Not only is good standard and technical English required to function at all in the medical field, but also a working knowledge of idiomatic language is essential to work proficiently. This excellent book is designed as a workbook to help prospective international medical graduates and other healthcare workers do just that and is aimed at those studying for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examinations in particular. It is divided into two parts, the first dealing with the specifics of vocabulary and language use in the clinical setting and the second written for students sitting the examinations, exploring points of grammar and vocabulary which might be expected in the various papers. These are preceded by an explanation of how to use the book to best advantage, including suggestions for ways to augment vocabulary. The first part of the book is a comprehensive guide to current language and vocabulary as used in the medical setting. It begins with general chapters on communicating with patients and taking a history, suggesting the most colloquial and succinct ways of posing a question to elicit a useful and accurate response from the patient. Within the history-taking chapter, there is useful information on what occupations like ‘being in HR’ involve or what a ‘chippy’ does for a living. Interestingly, it requires four full pages to cover all the terms for alcohol and drug consumption, while exercise needs only a paragraph and includes the term ‘couch potato’. The subsequent chapters within this first section deal with the various systems of the body and include ways in which patients describe their symptoms, how these should be understood by the doctor and ways in which the technical language of medicine can be translated into everyday English for the patient. The emphasis is on the importance of two-way communication between patient and doctor with the patient needing to understand what the doctor is talking about just as much as the doctor needs to understand the patient. This whole section provides a very useful guide to current language usage in the medical context and would be an invaluable reference book for the puzzled physician to have at hand in the clinic. The only criticism is the lack of an index where one might easily discover, for example, the meaning of ‘popping your clogs’ or ‘brewer's droop’ without having to trawl through the entire book to do so. The second and larger part of the book is a presentation in workbook form of particular language points, topics and vocabulary which might be faced by the candidate facing the IELTS or PLAB examinations. It takes the form of short chapters on a grammatical point (e.g. confusing words and false friends) or a theme (e.g. politics) and requires very specific answers to be given to the questions posed, often from lists provided. It provides the student with a comprehensive coverage of grammar and vocabulary and requires considerable attention to detail. Answers are provided at the back of the book. This book is highly recommended for international doctors as an accessible and clear guide to current English usage. It is very readable, well organised and could be used by both examination candidates as a workbook and by practising doctors as a reference guide to the innumerable idioms and colloquial expressions with which their patients may bombard them in the clinic.

Making the jump

No Abstract. Keywords: international medical graduates, medical education, professional and linguistic assessment board (PLAB), Residency, UK Archives of Ibadan Medicine 2005, Vol. 6(1): 29-31

Perspectives from the Indian subcontinent

Most doctors sitting the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board) exam come from the Indian subcontinent. Sabina Dosani finds out what it9s really like for them

PLAB : key to the kingdom

Many doctors from around the world want to pursue postgraduate medical training in the United Kingdom, but first they need to overcome many barriers, including the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examination. Even after passing all the exams, however, the market still might not have a job for them. Katherine McGinn and Irina Haivas find out why

I am a doctor from India. I came here after finishing my preregistration house officer posts and have passed the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) tests. I want to work in genitourinary medicine; how do I progress and where should I apply?

Have a career or related problem that needs answering? Can9t find the right person to point you in the right direction? Log on to the Advice Zone for reliable medical careers advice. You can post a question or see if one of our 300 advisers has already answered a similar question. Here is a selection of questions and answers posted on the site. <b>www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone</b>

I am a doctor from India. I came here after finishing my preregistration house officer posts and have passed the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) tests. I want to work in genitourinary medicine; how do I progress and where should I apply?

Have a career or related problem that needs answering? Can9t find the right person to point you in the right direction? Log on to the Advice Zone for reliable medical careers advice. You can post a question or see if one of our 300 advisers has already answered a similar question. Here is a selection of questions and answers posted on the site. <b>www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone</b>

I am a graduate from India and I finished my internship in 2002. After that I did a house job in medicine for six months. I recently took my Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test part 2. Am I eligible for a foundation programme year 2 post?

Have a career or related problem that needs answering? Can9t find the right person to point you in the right direction? Log on to the Advice Zone for reliable medical careers advice. You can post a question or see if one of our 300 advisers has already answered a similar question. Here is a selection of questions and answers posted on the site. <b>www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone</b>

Assisting international medical graduates applying for their first post in the UK: what should be done?

The number of international medical graduates (IMGs) passing the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examination was six times greater in 2004 than in 2000. This has resulted in unprecedented numbers of applicants for junior posts, with some attracting over 1,000 overseas graduates. The Royal College of Physicians working group on IMGs was established in 2004 to address the problems that face newly qualified IMGs. The group has ascertained and now publishes current levels of competition for junior posts in order to inform overseas graduates of the levels of competition they are likely to encounter. The group is seeking ways of selecting applicants when such large numbers apply for posts and is looking at ways of improving clinical attachments. The paper considers these and other difficulties that IMGs face when they first seek employment in the UK and discusses possible solutions.

Overseas doctors warning

EDITOR—Peter Trewby has brought this debate to the mainstream.1 I notice, however, that another of his articles was published a year ago. Has anything changed since then? Not a lot, it seems from the heart rending stories we have been hearing in our ethnic minority discussion groups. I am against such drastic measures as stopping the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) tests, which some seem to be advocating. I can understand the emotional reasons for making such a demand, but it does have the …