Options for Clinical Training

if you just want to know the practical aspect, there are lot of good certificate courses available. I will list 3 such things. These courses are not MCI recognized, but u get a degree and u can handle any case after taking it.Further if you take up PLAB, these courses will help you get a job in UK as most courses are approved by british universities. I know it for a fact because my friends have done it and have gone abroad.

a) Diploma in Emergency Medicine/ Diploma in family medicine :
These are 6 month courses offered by the Appollo group of hospitals. For more details log on to http://www.medvarsity.com/vmu1.2/dmr/dmrdata/courses/accident/home.htm . Well they give you a degree and confidence to handle any emergencies. I know this because some of my friends have done it and are happy. Further you need to study for the 1st 4 months at home and then work for the next 2 months in their hospital.

b) PG in bioinformatics:
For more details visit http://www.bioinformaticscentre.org/page/academic_program/bio_prospectus.asp

c) Ramchandra university offers a diploma in family medicine too .
You can get more details at www.medindia.com

Well as I told earlier these are not MCI recognized, but they give you a chance to work in a good hospital and learn all the tricks of emergency medicine as well as OPD . I feel that's more than enough for a private practice. You can also take up DNB www.natboard.nic.in and then work in a good hospital.

Contributed by Dr.Ashwin (www.edoctor.mcqsonline.com )

Going Abroad

If you want to go abroad there are 5 options for us doctors:

a) USMLE:

Well this is the best option . But getting a visa is very tough but NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Here are the short cuts-

• Avoid going to Madras & Bombay US Embassies, they are very strict here and once they see that u r a doc then they reject ur visa application rt away. (South Indians have to go to MAdras, but if you wait uptill midweek then you will see that all appintments will be full and they will refer u to delhi)
• Delhi & Calcutta are the best options. If you go there u will have an 80% chance of getting a visa.
• Never apply for an interview on the 1st 3 days of the week, but apply on the last 3 days.
• Never tell the embassy people that you have relatives staying in US. ( many believe that a relative in US can sponser their visa's but thats all crap)
• During the interview tell them that u have plans to work in australia or middle east. Don't ever tell them that u want to stay back in US, or that u want to come back here (as MLE/residency is not valid here).
• Keep this all to yourself. No point in telling everyone Then U will have no advantage.
• These are unwritten rules, but even if u follow it to the core, there r chances of ur visa application getting rejected, but my friends how followed it got visa'a100%

b) PLAB:

• PLAB without MRCP is like doing an extended internship. True for Indian standards, one earns more, but you end up spending a lot for food and accomadations there.
• Further once u start working then u find it hard to study for MRCP.
• After 8 years max, they will boot you out of UK and you will be MBBS in India, without any job or experience ( the only thing Plabees do in UK is the paper work- if any of ur friends have told you that they are treating patients, then its crap)
• A better alternative is taking MRCP-1 in INDIA and then taking up PLAB . MRCP-1 exams costs 30000 bucks while IELTS costs 8000 bucks.
• KAPLAIN Bangalore has started an MRCP trainig course for 6 months / its costs 20000 bucks. It makes sense to take the course.
• Don't take the MAHE -MRCP degree, its IRISH and has no value abroad.

c) Australia and NewZealand:

• Working in NZ is the best option. They pay you 1 lakh US dollars to start with ( yearly offcourse) and there are only 276 doctors in NZ to date ( hard to believe but true).
• But one has to have an US or UK degree to work here and also they will have to pass their qualifying exams. ( theory & practs)

d) Middle east:

• Good to make money and come back. Better if u have some additional degrees.

e) Mauritius :

• They pay 40000 bucks (indian) per month for a duty doctor.

So there are lot of other ways to go abroad . If you need anything more on this please use google, as I dont know a thing more on it

Contributed by Dr.Ashwin (www.edoctor.mcqsonline.com )