5 Common Mistakes IMGs Make in the PESCI Interview (and How to Avoid Them)

1. Poor Tech Setup

Many of the IMGs who choose to sit a PESCI with us are currently outside of Australia. We have designed our virtual Zoom interviews to be a convenient option for our IMGs located overseas, ensuring a smooth process from start to finish. To assist with the smooth running of your PESCI assessment, you should also ensure that you have checked the virtual meeting requirements. This includes ensuring your camera works, your lighting is adequate and your internet connection is stable. Try joining a test meeting before your PESCI date at the below website to check that your setup meets the virtual PESCI requirements!
https://zoom.us/test

2. Skipping the Mock Interview

We know that studying the guidelines and reviewing clinical topics are common ways for IMGs to prepare for their PESCI, but many skip doing the most critical form of practice - the mock interview! At the Institute of Medical Education, the simulated patient interview is an integral part of any PESCI scenario, so simulating this prior to your structured clinical interview can help assess how you think, communicate and use clinical reasoning in real time. Finding a friend, fellow IMG or doctor to role-play PESCI clinical scenario examples could be the difference between a pass and a fail!

3. Not Demonstrating an Understanding of the Local Area

Australia is a vast continent, with diverse demographics and health needs. You need to ensure that prior to your PESCI assessment, you have researched the Australian area in which your proposed clinic operates as it is one of the PESCI assessment domains. It is important that you understand the potential healthcare challenges in such a location, the local supports available, as well as the local demographics and referral pathways. It is also important to ascertain where the closest hospital is, and how you’d manage complex cases potentially needing tertiary level care. We suggest talking to your supervisor about the local area and the available resources!

4. Not Communicating Clearly

Being able to communicate clearly is a crucial part of a positive doctor-patient relationship, and the PESCI will assess your ability to communicate with potential patients. When talking with the role player, make sure you keep the medical jargon to a minimum. If you have to use complex medical terminology with the simulated patient, make sure that you explain it to the patient in simple words. Try to practice structured responses to common clinical scenarios that you may encounter as an Australian GP.

5. Poor Time Management

During your PESCI exam, it is vital that you can balance speed and thoroughness. Although this is a hard thing to master, having a structure to follow can help immensely with keeping to time constraints while still ensuring you get all the key details. A structure can help you stay composed when you get nervous, and will help you focus your clinical judgement. However, it is also important that your structure isn’t too rigid as this could lead to you spending too much time on details that aren’t critical aspects of the presenting case. 

Successfully preparing for your Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview with IME is an exciting milestone on the path to becoming a GP in Australia. By being aware and avoiding common mistakes that IMGs have made before, you'll be ready to take your first step on the journey to a successful PESCI outcome. The PESCI exam is more than just some questions and answers; it is an assessment to show whether you can practice medicine safely and effectively within the Australian Healthcare system.