Posted by: GPs To Be
20 March 2013There I was, driving home on the motorway on Monday evening and suddenly I receive two beeps in quick succession on my mobile phone. It was not until I stopped at some traffic lights near my home that I could have a quick peek at my phone and saw I had received some texts from colleagues in my tutorial group. I immediately knew why they were texting me.
I walked in through my front door, dropped my bag, hung my coat, said ‘Hi’ to my fiancée and then pick up my laptop. I switched it on and waited for it to boot up. The booting up felt like it took forever and once again, I thought to myself, maybe I should buy one of those ‘oh so cool’ MacBook’s with their instantaneous boot up times.
Next I fired up the RCGP website and logged into my e-portfolio.
And there it was. The symbol of the ‘fruits of my labour’. A small green tick.
Surprise. Shock. Elation. This small green tick confirmed I had indeed passed the CSA exam and those three months I spent practising after work and on weekends at my GPST colleagues houses were worth it in the end.
Looking at the breakdown of my marks was interesting, but at the same time I felt the scores did not represent how I really consulted day-to-day in my ST3 practice. I feel like how you cope on the day is a big factor.
Many very good candidates fail the CSA not due to lack of knowledge or poor interpersonal skills, but I suspect they crumble under the intense pressure of the exam.
My fiancée was relieved to hear my good news, as she was not looking forward to meeting the grumpy and depressed version of me that evening and over the next few weeks after that.
So, what next for me? Well, it turns out I’ve accumulated a lot of annual leave. My fiancée fancies a holiday in Key West, Florida, with its sun-kissed beaches and tasty regional dishes. After that break, I am keen to attend do some more training courses, spruce up my CV, learn how to sell myself in an interview, and get a job. It’s time to enjoy my life a bit more.
Dr Avradeep Chakrabarti is a GPST3 training in Swindon, living in Bristol.
Readers' comments (10)
Julie Fry20 Mar 2013 7:33pm
Well done Deep!! :D It sure is a fab feeling!
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Avradeep Chakrabarti20 Mar 2013 10:19pm
Cheers Julie. Glad you passed too.
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Alok Tyagi20 Mar 2013 11:15pm
Wish we had taken the decision to go to the US........
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Anonymous21 Mar 2013 1:33am
Congratulations.
Unfortunately for many other doctors, RCGP has made the situation just unbearable and agonizing.
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Avradeep Chakrabarti21 Mar 2013 6:43am
Alok- were you unsuccessful at this sitting? I hope you get the support you need. I'll happily help if you need any advice, but I was no high flyer and managed to keep my nerves on the day.
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Anonymous23 Mar 2013 10:22am
Definitely worth getting a MacBook or iPad - so you can say goodbye to 'boot-up' waiting for good. You will never look back.
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Anonymous27 Mar 2013 6:32am
Good job the cops didn't see you looking at your phone at the traffic lights- you could have got 3 points, a 60 pound fine and a referral to the GMC!!! Man that would have been an anti-climax to the day
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Anonymous30 Mar 2013 10:52am
Hearty Congratulations!
For avoiding all these happening in your life-- major depression, loss of dignity,marital breakups, losing £1500multiplied by 4 times, the misery of your spouse watching you crumble day after day ,major depression for your spouse ...the list is long for an IMG training to be a GP.
So really and truly happy for you for passing your CSA.
Well done!
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Avradeep Chakrabarti07 Apr 2013 2:23pm
That is rubbish Anon. If you need any help with studies, I can give you my limited experience!
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Anonymous16 Apr 2013 11:27am
no - the IMG speaks the truth. lots of people have suffered because of this exam. Please investigate and find out a bit more about their suffering: E.g. the articles written in the Pulse about judicial review etc and you might understand their pain. We should have compassion for them
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