UK’s College of Medicine and Dentistryintroduces MSc in Advanced General Medical Practice

Invites India-qualified doctors to live and work in the country

UK-based College of Medicine and Dentistry (CoMD) has introduced MSc in Advanced General Medical Practice (AGMP). The one-year course has been designed to fully prepare Indian doctors to practise in the UK. The full-time, face-to-face programme arms students with the knowledge and skills they need to pass the General Medical Council’s mandatory Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test.

The Masters comprises key modules including Clinical Skills in General Medical Practice I, Clinical Skills in General Medical Practice II, Fundamentals of Medicine, Fundamentals of Digital Health, Evidence-based Practice, Professional Project, and the Communications and interpersonal skills module, providing a unique CoMD’s Masters programme, with vital skills to overseas doctors wishing to practise in the UK. 

Dr Suhail Amin Tarafdar, Senior Clinical Lecturer and MSc AGMP Programme Lead explains, “Other academies in the UK exist solely to get students through their PLAB tests. However, CoMD’s Masters also teaches students how to practice as a doctor in the UK something that can otherwise come as a complete culture shock to overseas doctors.”

For instance, the modules teach students how to deal with patient interaction and communication in the UK, governance and ethical/legal issues in the UK healthcare system. This includes how to communicate and deal with angry patients, breaking bad news, and how the NHS structure differs from international healthcare. These are vital because the UK is very different to abroad. I have seen a large proportion of doctors in training struggling because of these issues. 

Dr Tarafdar adds, “We have also included the module on digital health because that’s becoming increasingly important, but here in the UK there’s an entire framework that governs how to do digital health.”

At the end of the Masters programme, students must also complete a professional project that challenges their research skills and teaches them research methods, governance and how to appraise evidence. 

Says Dr Tarafdar, “It thoroughly prepares them to be able to conduct primary research and enables them to go on to do a PhD.”

Doctors enrolling on the MSc AGMP must already have a medical degree, such as a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). On completing their Masters (and passing their PLAB tests) students will be qualified to practise as junior doctors. They might then complete a CREST form to present evidence of further competencies in specific areas, before applying for further training, such as radiology, general practice, ophthalmology or surgery.

CoMD’s student pastoral support is also outstanding. A student team supports applicants through their visa process, exam preparation and while they seek employment. Plus, the university understands the stresses that come with moving to a new country, so it offers accommodation services and support. Additionally, it is the only university in the UK to offer students private medical insurance. 

Dr. Tarafdar stresses the need for more doctors in the UK, a need that he says the CoMD Masters course can help satisfy. “There is a huge gap in the number of practising medical doctors in the UK, and to fill this gap, we help qualified doctors to come to the UK and be able to practise in medicine legally. International recruitment is and will remain an essential pipeline for medical staffing in the NHS.

He concludes, “CoMD’s Masters is unique. We don’t only help to prepare you for becoming licensed to practise in the UK, we go beyond that. We help you to prepare to practise medicine in the UK and to practise competently. This course will also give you highly sought-after academic skills, and a Masters, which will act as a springboard if you decide to go on to do further studies, such as a PhD. I’m not aware of any other Masters programme of this kind in the UK.”