----------------------------------------------------------------------- My Review of Fast Track Medics. In this review of this highly profession PLAB2 coaching I will try to be as unbiased as possible.I will try to block out of my memory all the tarts,chocolates and all lovely food that was served during the course. My association with the people behind the course started a day prior of the start of the the actual vigorous course. My friend drove me down to the house.The sense of perfection which Dr Naqvi strives for was evident the moment I saw the map of hendon which she gives along with the course booking letter.There was no chance in the world anyone can get lost after seeing that!!!!! I reached the house at around 8pm when the PLAB Club students were in full action guided by Dr Nadir,the sweet,cheerful yet unassuming boss of the house.The confidence on everyones face was the most striking feature.Dr Nadir is the doctor who has been selected as the top student and will be shortly joining Guys Hospital for an attachment!!!Yes,they do give attachments to their top students.I have heard many people comment, “It is just a publicity stunt”,but trust me all fellow rxpgians I have seen the Top Student Dr Nadir being blessed with an attachment. The rooms in the house are very comfortable and spacious.The rooms are huge(trust me they look small in the virtual tour but the rooms are king size).Another sign of love and thoughtfulness of the course organizers awaits you in the room,you have your complimentary crisps and cold drink and a bottle of lemonade which you can drink in nice glasses.I would drink my lemonade in them along with my room mate Dr Kokre and we both would love it,because we would feel like real kings. Sounds like lots of fun,well well well,the course is really comprehensive with stress on things which we need to know for the PLAB2 exam. Their motto is WE WERE FIGHTING FOR YOUR SUCCESS. Trust me they really do fight for our success but to win in this battle we need to be active too. On the first day,we are given an introduction by Dr Naqvi, who with her really good comic timing made the scene less tense and suddenly the serious faces were the thing of the past. We were given dognuts to satisfy our satietary centres and yes,then the course starts only when all are full.The timings of the course are 9am-6pm but they usually don’t press their brakes at 6pm,they carry on till when its required cause every individual is important to them,even if it means decreasing the lunch break or leaving us a little later that 6pm.Well nobody cribs about that,because at the end of the day all benefit from it as everyone gets to do what it taught under supervision and always being timed as they go along. The communication stations which are the main concern for many are tackled very well by Dr Naqvi and Dr Guilding.They are no doubt good course organizers but are wonderful actors,in fact once Dr Guilding almost got a standing ovation from all of us for her acting skills.There are times when she acts out the part of an angry patient and if your facing the station you get the actual feel of exam scenario.But that not all,they don’t stop at just acting out stations,they assess the candidate and they provide FEEDBACK at the end of the 5 mins which is very valuable. They don’t spare anyone,every single person is allotted a communication station so that everyone gets a feel of being on the spot and tackling the situation. Dr Guilding, who is superb at her communication skills, tells us the tricks of how to frame our questions and trust me,after our sessions with her I saw how important it is to play with words while breaking bad news,dealing with a difficult patient. Dr Naqvi also takes the communication classes and Paeds is her domain.The adult and child resuscitation stations are also taught by her,and at this stage I would like to add that she being a trained instructure,we can safely say that she is the BOSS!!! At the course we are always told that the actors in the exam are trained actors and if they consistently remain angry it means that we have asked them a set of questions/or framed our questions in a manner which they have been trained to react unfavourably to.You need to attend their sessions to understand what I am saying!!!! The orthopaedics session which most of us dread, were made into a fun session and on one occasion we all went into the garden area of the house doing all movements required to be done during spine examination. Food is never a problem,the organizers believe that one can study best when the stomach is satisfied,so they have tea,coffee,juice and cookies round the clock during the course,then Dr Naqvi springs these surprises too,like one day she got some lovely tarts,another day she got cup cakes,then on the last day when our session extended to 9pm at night she got us kit-kat and coke(plus diet coke for the health freaks). Another thing which is very good about this course is that we can opt to join the PLAB CLUB.If we do join this we can meet up at the course venue daily from 6-9pm and discuss all stations with fellow plabbers and get practice on manikins under supervision. Dr naqvi always says the key to success is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.When that’s done under supervision and on being timed everytime you cant get a move favourable course than this. Advantages of the course--- *Every student is timed every single time he/she performs a station. *You get FEEDBACK right away after doing it,so one does not need to take mock tests to wait and know how much progress he/she is making.It is a constant improvement which we all will notice by the time we finish the course. *The teachers are all doctors working in the medical system at UK,so in case of any doubts they are always in the best position to answer the queries and ever if they don’t know it right away they have access to information. *When the course starts they provide all students with a hamper,containing a sleek sling bag,booklet,pen,many usefull booklets on medical conditions and they have provide a folder with exclusive Fast Track Medics study material. *The Fast track medics book contains all information required for PLAB2 from examination stations to manikin stations to counseling stations plus they have extra reading materials to all related topics which we need to have an idea about for the exam. *The approach to teaching is very professional,friendly and even when you have no clue as to how to tackle a station during practice at no time do they let it get you down.The FEEDBACK is always in form of positive criticism,so that we can easily iron out out flaws for the future. *Even if you’re the shy types who doesn’t like talking/acting out procedures in front of a group you will be encouraged in a positive way to get rid of your inhibitions which is a again very important for the exam. *The manikins used to practice daily are exactly the ones given in the PLAB2 exam,so you know what to expect on the exam day. *They offer a clinical attachment at Guy’s Hospital for students who they feel fit into the mould. *In the evening PLAB Club they update the members about the latest stations and practice the new stations out and discuss crucial pass fail points. *The course venue is in a very nice, peaceful and safe area. *Dose calculation is something which scares everyone as you either pass or fail it depending on your final answer,so Dr Naqvi stresses on that and has devised her own way to tackle it. Disadvantages of the course— *One can tend to overeat and then put on weight,because there is always something which we can munch on during the course. *In case you are staying at the accommodation provided at the course you will find it very difficult to adjust anywhere else ,cause the comfort of their huge rooms and pampering by Dr Naqvi in form of complimentary items is difficult to find elsewhere. *People think getting accommodation in and around the course area is difficult. I do not agree with that,there is a nice hostel few houses away from the course venue,its called Backpackers.In case you don’t fancy that,there are many flats around where you can try and get accommodation for short duration. I am adding a small list over here Mr rahul-07818066014 Others I will add later as have lost list,sorry *Many complain the cost is too much, again I beg to differ. They pack in a lot into this course,you get trained by people who are a part of the NHS, you get to study in a nice friendly atmosphere where you don’t need to battle it out to get a place to practice.Everyone gets a chance to practice as they only entertain a small batch each course.The course provides every student with their notes,the provide snacks and lunch.It is 2mins away from the tube station, what else can one ask for!!! Infact during the exam another person from one popular coaching asked me if i gave any mock,all i could tell him was that at fasttrack everyday seems like a mock exam :-) (Dr Nikhil Ganjoo)