International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background:

There are more than 600 refugee doctors living in the UK, who face many obstacles on the path to the General Medical Council (GMC) registration [1]. Assisting this group to pass the GMC required examinations, the Professional and Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB), not only helps displaced individuals find fulfilling and dependable employment, it would also contribute to alleviating the shortage of doctors in the UK. In Wales, refugee doctors receive classroom teaching of English language and some UK medical concepts, but practical training and clinical opportunities remain limited. Simulation-based training is long established in providing practical medical education [2]. Our goal was to set up a simulation programme to help refugee doctors in Wales to pass the practical examinations required for GMC registration and to prepare them for practice in the UK.

Activity:

We have held a pilot simulation day open to refugee doctors in Wales, using existing simulation facilities used for NHS and medical school teaching. The day consists of a combination of practical procedure practice (e.g. cannulation or basic airway management) and simulation-based scenarios (e.g. anaphylaxis or the acutely unwell patient). Scenarios are designed to reflect likely examination topics in their examination and situations that a Foundation doctor might likely encounter. Scenarios were run using a high-fidelity simulation environment. Practical procedure workshops used low fidelity part-task trainers, allowing opportunity for the group to familiarise themselves with common procedures. The day was open to all refugee doctors in Wales, not just those about to sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination part of the PLAB examination.

Findings:

Feedback from the doctors has been extremely positive, with requests for more regular teaching. Feedback shows that attendees feel more confident not only working towards their examinations, but of being able to practise in UK hospitals. Additionally, they feel simulation-based training improves English language skills as well as practical skills.

Discussion:

This course provides for a previous gap in the support given to refugee doctors in Wales, allowing theoretical concepts to be put into practice. Feedback suggests that simulation also has a role to play in consolidating and expanding medical English. We are thus designing a simulation programme open to Welsh refugee doctors with clinical practice and language development as learning objectives.

References

1. Refugee Council UK. Building Bridges Impact Report 2016–19. 2020. https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/building-bridges-impact-report-2016-2019/ [Accessed on 29/06/2022]

2. Aggarwal R, Mytton OT, Derbrew M, Hananel D, Heydenburg M, Issenberg B, MacAulay C, Mancini ME, Morimoto T, Soper N, Ziv A. Training and simulation for patient safety. BMJ Quality & Safety. 2010;19(Suppl 2):i34–43.