For those who wish to add additional information, ask questions or those who simply want to chat.
Forum
Published by FY1 Clinical Assessment
An MD with a degree in Master in Public Health, currently working in the NHS as a Manager. Having graduated from my Medical University in Pakistan a while back (with some bumps along the way), it has been an uphill battle to start my Foundation Program journey. But NOT impossible!! In August 2016, I attended the Samson PLAB Academy in London for PLAB 1. I scored 163. In December 2016, I attended Common Stations for PLAB 2, worked part time in between. I scored 136. I cleared my IELTS in April 2017. Obtained my Provisional Registration by August 2017. In November 2017, I attended PLAB Right and Dr Swamy for Clinical Skills Assessment classes. In the CSA exam I passed with a score over 77%. SJT score is 34. Gratefully, I have been allocated to the West Midlands South Deanery. I want to thank all the Academies for their dedication and hard work, without their guidance I would not have gotten to this point. View all posts by FY1 Clinical Assessment
Published
The Clinical Skills Assessment for the FY1. 
Hi there,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience.I would appreciate it if I could get in touch with you as I have a couple of questions and I’m in a big dilemma and thought it would be worth taking to someone with a bit of clarity concerning this whole foundation programme issue.
Many Thanks
Dharshi
LikeLike
Hi,
You can use the “Contact” section of the website to contact me and ask any question. Don’t worry, the email will be sent to me and not made public.
Thank you.
LikeLike
Hi Dr,
Thank you so much for this piece. Please I would like to know how I can join the forum. Cheers
LikeLike
Hi ,
Thank you for the kind words. Please feel free to write about any topic that is useful to you or others on the Forum.
Or even get in touch with others so you can help each other.
Thank you.
LikeLike
Hello and sorry for bothering. I just have a question in regard provisional registration. I am a fresh graduate back in my home country and should start my internship in my university by March/2018. If I decided to not take my internship and plan to start my ielts and PLAB exams and apply for provisional diagnosis later on rather than taking my internship. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing. Is it better to have ur f1 in UK or it won’t make a difference in regard allocation later on. Also in regard such statement ” Doctors with provisional registration are legally only allowed to apply for FY1 posts. Locum Appointments for Training (LAT) posts for FY1 doctors are very rare and requires Foundation School involvement during the process of recruitment.” if LAT is rare for fy1 why should I take that path. And what is meant by foundation school involvement is required for recruitment.
LikeLike
Hi,
Congratulations on clearing your medical training!
I am afraid I do not have much experience when it comes to FY2 allocations, i would recommend forums like NaseersJourney. I mighr give you the wrong information by guessing. But for FY1 the UKFPO look at you performance during and after medical training (kindly see the Allocation section). Based on your score and your Daenery preference, you get allocated into the program.
The plus point in doing your internship at home is that you save 1 year and start as a FY2 here.
The plus point in doing an FY1 post is that you will learn from the ground up and by the time you start your FY2, you will have 1 year of NHS experience while other IMG coming from abroad will have less or none.
The FY1 LAT posts are vacancies the hospital / Deaneries have been unable to fill from my understanding. Either because of lack of candidates applying to that specific Deanery or because the FY1 candidate ended up leaving during their training. The hospitals HR department advertises these posts and there is strong competition from what I have been told for these posts. Since the FY1 program takes months to start officially, starting a LAT FY1 post is good experience. You do need to be seen as eligible by the UKFPO since they will grant the permission from my understanding.
Regards
LikeLike
Hi Dr,
I am a fifth year medical student and am pursuing opthalmology in the uk. There’s very little information for imgs to get into FY1. Is there a possibility for imgs to get into FY1 and Could you please guide me for it.
LikeLike
Hi,
Congratulations on almost being done with medical school!
I would recommending reading the visa process carefully first. From my understanding, the UKFPO sponsors Tyre 4 visas only to IMG graduated who have passed from a UK medical college. I will ask a few colleagues to clarify this.
For the rest, have a sit down and read though the posts one by one. See if the UK is the right option for you. Start of by planning for IELTS and PLAB 1.
And if you have any specific query email the UKFPO office, they are efficient in replying back.
Regards.
LikeLike
Hello. I am in a situation where i can only get provisional registration but i dont have the right to work in uk. Would i get sponsorship for FY1?
LikeLike
Hi,
I am sorry but I am a EU citizen, so thankfully I have not faced this problem. There are quite a few people who have asked me this question and unfortunately I do not have an answer.
If I remember correctly, the UKFPO does state that you need to have graduated from a UK medical university if you are an IMG wanting to apply for the Tyre 4 visa sponsorship via a Deanery. Otherwise, I believe you need to be a UK or EU national, or your spouse should be a local/EU national.
I hope others who read this post can give their input.
Regards.
PS – Just have a look at the UKFPO website and send them an e-mail explaining your circumstances for clarification.
LikeLike
Did you go through the same or you had right to work? And also , if the answer is yes, is it going to be a problem on visa? I already have had a succesful 6 months visa. I will apply for another one for plab 2 now. And if i apply for FY1 i will need other visas for other exams .
LikeLike
If i have a PR/ILR still i will have to pass CSA for Fy1?
LikeLike
Hi,
Sorry I’m not familiar with the PR/ILR.
It’s best to email the UKFPO office. From my knowledge, other qualifications (eg PLAB 2) does not substitute for the CSA. So, if you meet the criteria (graduated more than 2 years ago + no prior internship) then you will most likely be asked to do the CSA.
Regards
LikeLike
Hello
Have you given your SJT yet? Can you recommend any prep material or guides?
LikeLike
Hi,
No not yet. I will be giving it soon. I hope some people who have given the exam can give their input? In the future I’ll try to provide some useful sources.
Regards
LikeLike
Hello Sir!
I m a Final Year Graduate here in Pakistan. if i won’t do my 1 year house job here. Would i be able to get Fy1 job there after clearing CSA? Even if i will be an img not a british citizen?
LikeLike
Hi,
If you are a fresh graduate (within 2 years of graduating), you do not have to sit for the CSA exam.
I am afraid I am not knowledgeable about the visa process sadly. I will try to find out but it would be wise to go to the UKFPO website and read about the visa process and work permit. Hopefully someone who knows can comment as well.
Kind regards
LikeLike
Actually Sir..! Sorry to say, this blog is somehow misleading.. u should mention that Fy1 jobs only EU citizens can get! While imgs always need to do house job back in pak otherwise u won’t be able to get any fy1 job until and unless u r a british citizen or get dependent PR..
Plz do mention this in your blog otherwise it may mislead others too like me..and if i m wrong plz do correct me.! Waiting for ur help
LikeLike
Hi,
I will have to disagree with you. My blog is just my experience. It is intended for those who want to know more about the process and the CSA exam.
I have mentioned this before, but I am not very knoweldgable about the visa process. It is fair to say that the candidates who sit for these exams are primarily local graduates, EU citizens such as myself or IMG’s who have local/EU spouses. If there is another process, I am afraid I do not know.
All the best.
Kind regards.
LikeLike
Thankyou Sir..!
It was indeed very helpful.. It did help me alot..
If u get any info about other visas too then let us know..!
Ur blog helps me alot.. Thankyou once again!
LikeLike
Hi
Loved the way you wrote!
Just wanted to know did you join any academies or attended any courses for the clinical assessment?
I have to do it this year and really am stuck on resources to help prepare.
Any advice would be truly appreciated. Thanks
LikeLike
Hi,
Thank you for the kind words.
If you go to the “My Experience” tab, you will find which courses I attended.
I am also providing tuition and have created course content, tailored specifically for the UKFPO FY1 CSA exam. I will advertise that shortly when it is ready.
Thanks
LikeLike
Thank you very much for this precious information and advice!
Im a EU citizen, I graduated med school in 2013, completed my internship in Psychiatry in 2016, worked as a socialist back home. I’ve been offered Provisional registration with a licence to practice, I intend to apply for UKFPO in July 2018.
Would you tell me please, în my case I will have to sit the CSA in october or no?
Thank you,
Best wishes,
Sorina
LikeLike
Hi Sorina,
I think it is always best to e-mail the UKFPO office directly to ask if need to sit for the CSA. I hope not for you as exams in general are stressful to go through and expensive.
I assume that since you have provisional registration you did not do the 6 months surgery (or related) and 6 months medicine (or related) rotation. So it does place you in the FY1 category.
The UKFPO (Eligibility FAQ) page states:
“I qualified prior to 01 August 2016 and therefore must undertake a clinical assessment. What does this involve?
The national clinical assessment is designed to ensure that a doctor has maintained their clinical and professional skills since qualification. The clinical assessment will be undertaken by the University Hospital of South Manchester and will take place on 24 -26 October 2017.”
So I am afraid yes you might have to give the CSA exam.
My advise would be to contact the UKFPO office to confirm this.
Best wishes.
LikeLike
Hello,
Did you apply for a Tier 4 or Tier 2 Visa? I heard they are limiting Tier 2’s for FP commencing August 2018. I even heard that they did not give out any at all whatsoever for foundations this year. Did you have this problem or know of anything else that did?
Thanks
LikeLike
Hi,
I am a EU citizen so unfortunately I am not very knowledgeable about the visa issue. I hope someone could reply to this post?
LikeLike
sorry I meant anyone instead of anything
LikeLike
Hi I would lik to ask for a suggestion.
a.Do you suggest on taking plab 2 course again which I took 2 years ago before I take Clinical Assesment course or you think that Clinical Assesment course only is enough to cover ?
b. Is it a safe bet to take course in 2different places? Or one is enough ?
c.What personal preparation one can do before the course starts ?
d. When should we start preparing for Clinical Assesment course according to your own experience ?
e. When should we prepare for SJT and how?
Thank you for your replies
LikeLike
Hi ,
a. I would recommend still attending the CSA course. You will find other people in your shoes which will be good mental support, you will be able to practice with others and get a just of what content to study. One of my friends did not give his PLAB2 and passed the CSA, where as another friend gave the PLAB 2 but failed the CSA. Practicing is important.
b. I would recommend 1 course, where you have a decent sized group of people. You can call and ask the admin team how many doctors are enrolled.
c. I would not bother with preparing before the course. Go in with a clean slate and absorb what they teach and talk to your colleagues.
d. I would recommend preparing sometime around August/September. Too early will exhaust you, too late will give you a good deal of anxiety.
e. Don’t worry about the SJT yet. First, clear the CSA. Then attend the emedica course if you can. Spend 1 week – 4 weeks preparing for the exam. That is my recommendation.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes.
LikeLike
just = jist *
LikeLike
Thank you for your quick reply. As I saw that the courses are of around 2 days then how, when with whom can we practise after course until exam ? Any suggestion?
LikeLike
Not a problem.
Are you referring to the course I provide? I provided it yesterday and the day before (last weekend).
LikeLike
Yours as well as the one in the course centres.They show two days. Is it posssible to take your course online?
LikeLike
Though the teaching experience was great, I am not planning on conducting further courses this year unless there are enough people. It does take a lot of time and surprisingly a lot of energy. (I have a new found respect for the PLAB 2 teachers). Also, I am about to start my FY1 job.
I am not sure about other courses, best to read the ones I listed on the website and contact them directly.
I hope this helps. Best wishes.
LikeLike
Hi,
I need some urgent suggestion. I thought I uploaded the whole deans statement but only page 3 has been submitted. I feel like crying coz It says no additional document can be added once applied. I really thought it was there. I have sent email but do you think I can apply?
I feel like ;( Help me of my burden.
LikeLike
Hi Amy,
I believe you can make another account (i.e. make an oriel account again but using a different email address ) and reupload all the documents before the deadline.
Do send the UKFPO an urgent email and tell them of the technical error and that you made another oriel account.
I believe that should be okay. Of course I can only advice and I’m not the UKFPO spokesperson 🙂 but they hopefully should be able to accept that.
Hope this helps,
Best wishes !
LikeLike
Hi everyone,
Is there a WhatsApp group for people taking the CSA this October 2018? What materials are you guys using to study for the exam?
LikeLike
Hi again,
Its time to apply for the application and I am not understanding how to do. I did read the handbook but it says apply from national vacancy. I am confused how and where. Is there an easier way to understand how to fill the form and apply? And what does registration means? Pleas help.
Thank you
LikeLike
Once you have cleared the 1st part of the eligibility process, you might get asked to sit for the CSA. After that you will be asked to register for the SJT. Also, you will need to go to Oriel and rank which Daenery you are giving preference to. After that, in january/Feb, you will be matched to a Daenery and then you must choose from a list of rotations and hospitals. I hope this helps.
LikeLike
Comment: Hello
I am a europeen however my diploma is from outside the Eu
I looked in the GMC website and i am supposed to do a foundation programme
Now here is the thing according to the GMC i ll get a registration without any examination however when i look up the process to get into a foundation programme i find that i have to sit for so many exams including the PLAB that normaly i am exempt from.
Bottom line, my question is how hard is the processe of getting a spot at the ukfp and how long does ot take ? And what are the exams that in my case i will be sitting for .
Thank you
LikeLike
Hi Wafa,
I was in the same predicament with being a EU citizen but with a degree from Pakistan. I sat for all those exams aswell. It is a long process but not impossible at all.
Take time to read through my website, it’s ll there.
Best wishes.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question.
And hopefully i could get in touch with you if i need further information .
Thank you
LikeLike
Hi
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am a UK citizen however my medical degree is from Pakistan and i graduated in 2003. Have NOT completed my internship.. I took Plab 1 in 2004-2005 4 times but did not get the required scores. Then due to family and health issues did not persue my career.. in 2012 did my Masterz in public health.. from birmingham uni. I want to get provisional reg with GMC now so i can apply for FY1 but unfortunately now i can’t take plab 1 . Previously there was no limit for Plab 1.
There must be a way for me to start fy1. I ll be highly obliged if u could guide me.
Thanks in advance
LikeLike
Hi,
I am sorry to hear you had those struggles.
The GMC website states you have to wait for 12 months and request additional attempts.
They also state that you should show attempts to improve your clinical knowledge or a postgraduate qualification which would be your MPH I think.
Another option is to go back to Pakistan and do a years internship, which might not be practical.
I recommend reading the GMC website further.
I hope this helps.
I will say doing my FY1 was worth all the hard I put in.
Best wishes.
LikeLike
Hello all!
I’m one of the few UK graduates who the UKFPO initially turned down because I didn’t provide a photo of my degree certificate (but did provide my Dean statement). They investigated the situation, realised something went wrong and now are letting me (and I assume others) sit the UKFPO CSA at the very end of January.
Thank you, firstly, for this site. It’s helping me so much already.
Is there anyone else out there who is also sitting the exam at the end of Jan and would like to study? I’m based in London. If not, I have quit my job for the whole of January to focus 100% on relearning everything. I had to postpone my FY1 position due to ill-health and I haven’t been on a ward since June 2016. I’m very, very nervous and trying to arrange shadowing positions at my local A&E but it’s pretty much impossible to get a reply from anyone.
If any of you have 3 weeks, totally free, to study for this exam; how would you approach it? I’ve asked to join the Facebook groups and I’m hoping that might help, but ANY advice would be appreciated as I’ve not sat an OSCE in over 2 years.
I’m wondering if the PLAB2 15-day course (which I know starts on Monday, but I have my SJT then) would be helpful???
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Hi,
I’m very happy this website has helped you and what an exciting time for you ! Congratulations on coming this far and being brave enough to make this choice.
Coming back is very daunting indeed. But know you are not alone. Alot of people have obstacles they overcome with persistence.
I hope you find a group to practice with.
I don’t think you need to shadow to pass the exams. I know people who have come from Canada, US, India etc who have never set foot in a UK hospital who have passed. Sit this OSCE as you would in your final year.
If you still want to shadow. District General Hpspitals are a great place to start. Also meeting Consultants face to face is a great way to get it.
Hope this has helped.
Kind regards.
LikeLike
That has helped; thank you! I think it’s just because I’ve been off the wards for so long compared to recent graduates and I was told that the UKFPO CSA is “harder” than finals… I will do my best to approach a consultant and hopefully I can get up to speed in 3 weeks!
Thank you so much again,
Harriet
LikeLike
Hi,
I’d like to thank you for helping me feel a little less lost! I am a UK citizen that has graduated abroad and so I’m required to go through this whole process in order to start FY1. So far I’ve got an 8 overall with my IELTS but a 7 in writing which is good enough for the GMC/PLAB but not for FY1, so I’ll have to repeat it whilst I prepare for PLAB 1… should I repeat it before or after my PLAB 1 attempt? I’m scared that it might go down and invalidate my gmc registration altogether… also for the PLAB 1 review, I see you’ve been through both, so would you recommend Swamy or Samson?
LikeLike
Hi Sarah,
Glad to read you found the website useful! There are plenty of people out there who have to go through this process, you’re definately not alone.
I would recommend focussing on one thing at a time if the IELTS has been a bit of a pain to complete. Pacing yourself would be my recommendation .
I went to Samson for PLAB1 and passed on my first go with 163 ish (82.5%). I know people who have attended Swamy and passed on their first go as well. It all boilds down to you and the amount of work you put in. So what is logistically feasible.
Wishing you success !
LikeLike
Hello!
Thank you so much for your posts. It’s been very helpful.
I graduated back in 2015 and have not done internship, but did a masters in Public Health. I have cleared Plab1 and hopefully will pass Plab2 before the end of the year.
Please I would like to know what time is right to apply for FY1 position to resume 2020.
LikeLike
Hi,
I am happy you have found this website helpful.
I would recommend keeping an eye out for the deadlines on the UKFPO website. They will publish the Handbook for 2019-2020 soon if they have not done so already. Normally the eligibility starts around 25 July – 8 August but this can be different this year. Keep an eye out and keep all the documents ready. You can find all this information on the UKFPO website.
All the best.
LikeLike
Hello.
I intend to apply for FP 2020z i am not sure how to download the deans statement.
http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2019-05/Dean%27s%20Statement%20UKFP%202020%20%281%29.docx
So this is the link i can find on their page. Is it the right one? If yes does it have to be filled by hand or computer? How cN i get rid of the “click to enter text”? Also at the very end it says page 1/2. What is the second page? Sorry for asking so many questions but im confused.
LikeLike
Hi,
I’m attending a conference but am unable to open the link on my phone.
I had electronically filled out as much of the form as possible and sent the rest to my medical school in Islamabad by email. They were tremendously helpful and speedy in getting it filled.
I am not sure the 2020 Dean’s statement is on the website yet. Best is to Google “Deans statement UKFPO” if you want to know what the document looks like and what will be required.
Have a look at the deadline dates and email the UKFPO office if they haven’t posted it soon.
I hope this helped.
LikeLike
Hello,
I am about to start preparing for the CSA and then eventually the SJT. I am a citizen here. Can you tell me the best possible study material for these exams? If you have any idea about any past papers, question banks, etc. I don’t mind having a lot of material to study. I just want to be sure that I don’t miss out anything.
Thank you.
LikeLike
Hi Lima,
Thanks for your question.
I’m going to brush up the website soon but I would recommend Emedica for the SJT at the minimum. You will get in touch with final year medical students and IMG sitting for the F1 placement.
They will also provide material and recommend the up to date books for SJT. They run a course on several dates , I went to the one in Birmingham and students do quite well.
LikeLike
Hi Lima,
I am also preparing for my CSA but have no idea of which or where to take a course or any study materials. Please let us know if you find any.
Thanks
LikeLike
Hello Doctors,
Anyone taking the OSCE exam this October and wants to practice/study together?
LikeLike