About Us

ISC Medical - the company

Established in February 2004, ISC Medical is the longest established company specialising in medical interview courses, medical CV writing and medical personal development courses for all grades, including Medical School entry, FY, CT/ST, GPST, consultants, and GP posts.

Our emphasis in on providing a service which is both personal and of high quality so that you, our clients, have the best chances of succeeding at your interview and in your career aims. Unlike many of our competitors we insist on providing all our courses in small groups so that you can fully benefit from our personal and individual approach; unlike many of our competitors we value integrity above everything and unlike many of our competitors we make sure that we provide value for money.

We care
We are different from everyone else because we actually care about our clients. If you need to discuss your personal circumstances without hearing a hard-sell speech, we are there to speak to you for as long as you want, for free! Do you need help with a particular problem? Our flexibility and fast reaction to changes in the NHS mean that we are always able to respond quickly to everyone's needs.

We provide value for money
Unlike many unscrupulous competitors, we want to give you a product that will actually help you. Many companies charge huge sums of money and provide a basic service. We aim to provide value for money by providing quality services at a very affordable price.

We provide a personal service
We do not put you in theatres with hundreds of other people. We provide a service which guarantees that you will get personal attention. Even our group courses only have small numbers of candidates (15 for ST, 12 for GPST, 6 for Consultants). Some of our competitors have 50, 100 or even 200 people and they charge more for the pleasure!

We talk to you
Our relationship with you does not stop when the service finishes. We pride ourselves in our personal interaction with our clients and many of them are recommending our services as a result. You can contact us at any time to discuss problems and we will be there for you. All this for free!

We are honest with you
One thing we are famous for is our no non-sense approach. We say things as they are. No pretence and no lies. All the testimonials on our website are real and verifyable (we know many others make them up, we don't!) and, with us, you are guaranteed to be told honestly what your good points are and what areas you need to improve on.

Meet the team

To ensure that you get the best value from our services, we recruit only the best trainers. All our trainers are carefully handpicked through a long selection process, are thoroughly tested in their coaching techniques and their handling of candidates at courses, and their feedback is continually monitored so that they can constantly fine-tune their approach in order to maximise the quality of their coaching. All trainers are experts in their field and attract excellent feedback.

Olivier Picard - Managing Director. Communication, Management and Business specialist.
Olivier has over 20 years' experience in communication, management and business specialist, including the past 7 years with an exclusive focus on medicine. As well as being involved in management training for senior managers, Olivier runs interviewing courses for interviewers both within and outside of the NHS, and has sat on numerous interview panels, including panels for ST and consultant interviews.

Through his involvement in coaching over 10,000 doctors for medical interviews personally over the years, his intensive network within NHS management and, being married to an NHS consultant for the past 11 years, Olivier has developed an extensive knowledge of past and current NHS issues, which is particularly appreciated by candidates who attend his ST and consultant interview courses.

Olivier is a frequent and popular speaker at external events such as recruitment fairs, NHS trust meetings and training sessions, as well as medical schools. Using a wide range of techniques, he has demonstrated an innovative and personal way of teaching which is designed to optimise the learning experience and boost the self-confidence of course participants. As a result he has guaranteed the success of the vast majority of the candidates he has trained, whatever their initial level of confidence and skills. He is renowned for his enthusiastic and dynamic style of teaching, with a strong ability to encourage personal participation. His friendly, though direct and no-nonsense approach is much appreciated by candidates.

Dan Wood - Consultant Urological Surgeon
Dan is a Consultant Urological Surgeon with a special interest in Adolescent Reconstruction at University College London, and an Honorary Consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He holds Honorary Senior Lectureships at University College London and the Institute of Child Health and is also a Postgraduate Tutor in Urology.

Dan has a long-standing interest in presentation, teaching and communication skills and has been involved with ISC Medical since early 2008, coaching candidates for both CT/ST interviews and consultant interviews. He is a dynamic and effective teacher, with a highly participative style. He has built a reputation for creating an interactive atmosphere by providing personal, constructive, encouraging and confidence-building feedback.

Dan has been involved in the interview process for SHOs and Registrars and has served on the North Thames Specialist Training Committee both as a trainee representative and as a new consultant. He is also involved in the recruitment of consultants at University College London.

Sebastian Yuen - Consultant Paediatrician
Sebastian is a Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal Free hospital and a Fellow of the NHS institute for Innovation and Improvement. Sebastian has a special interest in management and medical education. In 2004 he was seconded to support the reconfiguration of the University of Bristol Medical School and in 2009 was part of a group designing a completely new paediatric assessment to be taken at ST7.

Sebastian is the Secretary of the Education group in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and is a member of the RCPCH Examination Board. He has also taught the RCPCH "Child in Mind" programme and Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator workshops. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Sebastian has been actively involved in teaching on ISC Medical's consultant and CT/ST interview courses since 2008. As a trainer, he is particularly appreciated for the frank but supportive feedback that he provides, his thorough understanding of NHS issues and his ability to explain these in an easily-digestable manner. He has been described as an "excellent orator with impressive attitude".

Kriel Ramcharitar - Consultant in Public Health Medicine
Kriel is a Consultant in Public health Medicine at NHS Brent Primary Care Trust, where is is the lead for training Public Health Specialist Trainees, Sports and Exercise Medicine Specialist Trainnes and GP Registrars placed at the department.  At NHS Brent, Kriel's lead areas include cancer screening, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and treatments outside of service level agreements. 

Kriel is also an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Oxford and is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  He has completed a one and a half year teaching followship at the University of Oxford Department of Public Health where his responsibilities included teaching, assessment and evaluation.  He has also lead on the redesign, delivery and evaluation of public health medical undergraduate curriculum at the University of Oxford.  His teaching qualifications include the University of Oxford Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Kriel's calm demeanour coupled with his constructive feedback and ability to reassure even the most nervous delegates, helps to create the perfect learning environment and he is frequently praised by delegates for his extraordinarily wide-ranging knowledge of different specialties and current NHS hot topics.

Narbeh Melikian- Consultant Cardiologist
Narbeh is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at King's College Hospital London.  He trained in medicine and cardiology in London and has also worked as a cardiologist in South Africa and Belgium.

Narbeh has over 10 years experience in communication and medical education and is a highly popular lecturer both in the UK and abroad, lecturing on all aspects of medicine including specialist courses including preparation for the MRCP examination.

As a trainer, Narbeh has an adaptable and dynamic style of tutoring which he tailors to meet the individual needs and requirements of all his delegates, regardless of grade or specialty.  He also places great emphasis on providing constructive and confidence building feedback to bring out the best in all participants.

Dr Jo Clare - GP
Jo is a fully qualified GP who graduated from St George's Medical School and has been working in general practice since 2005 in Surrey and is now a salaried GP in South Staffordshire.  She also has a special interest in Genitourinary Medicine spending time as a clinical assistant at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.  Jo is one of our most experienced trainers and has been running our medical school and GPST courses since early 2008.  Previous delegates on Jo's courses have commented on her highly approachable, encouraging, enthusiastic and supportive teaching style and her ability to draw from personal experiences to teach by example.

Dr Katie Porter - GPST3
Katie is a GP Registrar (GPST3) in Sheffield, who has a long-standing interest in teaching and communication skills and has been teaching our GPST courses for two years.  Previous delegates on Katie's courses have commented on her friendly and professional approach coupled with her recent knowledge of the GPST selection process.  Katie's teaching style is highly effective and the feedback she provides to our course delegates is both constructive and supportive, providing a relaxed and unintimidating environment in which to develop their skills.

Dr Natasha Pinnock - GPST3
Natasha is a GP Registrar (GPST3) who graduated from the University of Manchester Medical School.  She is currently working in Cambridgeshire and has developed a passion for teaching, including training competencies that are essential for general practice, from basic life support to communication skills.  Natasha is an active BMA committee representative for her local GP training scheme which helps keep her constantly up-to-date with developments within the medical profession.  Natasha started teaching our GPST courses in early 2009 and has been widely commended for her very enthusiastic and approachable style.  She combines this with her ability to provide constructive criticism and flair in helping candidates fulfil their true potential.  Natasha is deeply committed to teaching and her enjoyment of it is only matched by observing her candidates' confidence and skills improve throughout the course of the day.

Dr Nishali Patel - GPST3
Nishali is a GP Registrar (GPST3) who graduated from Royal Free & University College Medical School and is currently working at Ealing Hospital.  She has always had an enthusiasm for teaching since she was a medical student and thoroughly enjoys peer teaching, medical school teaching and is now also an instructor on ALS courses.  Nishali sits on the medical school interview panel at Royal Free & University College London and so is well versed in the med school interview process.  Nishali is an extremely popular trainer and has been praised by previous delegates for her positive approach and boundless enthusiasm.  Her approach and dedication to her teaching inspires an enormous amount of confidence in the groups she teaches.

Dr Khyati Bakhai - GPST2
Khyati is a GPST2 who graduated from Royal Free & University College Medical School and is currently working at Guys & St Thomas' Hospital.  She has been involved in medical student and peer teaching throughout her career, particularly thriving in small group sessions.  Her enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile has been much appreciated by her students.  When teaching on our GPST courses, Khyati has been described as focussed, engaging and constructive with particular attention to detail.  Khyati provides an unintimidating environment in which to develop the skills essential for success in exams.

Dr Vidya Thavamokankanthi - GPST2
Vidya is a GPST2 who graduated from University College Medical School.  She is currently working in St Albans and is actively pursuing her special interest in medical education through involvement in the delivery of our medical student and GPST courses.  Vidya is also involved on numerous medical school interview panels which ensures she is highly focused and up-to-date in this field.  With an Advanced Certificate in the Language Arts, her acting skills are used to harness the candidates' experiences highly effectively during the GPST role play exercises.  When teaching our medical school and GPST courses, Vidya has been described as inspirational, genuine and highly supportive with an adaptable teaching style to suit all groups.  Vidya provides constructive feedback, integrating honest and practical suggestions for improvement.

Dr Paul de Cates - GPST2
Paul is a GPST2 in the Coventry & Warwickshire VTS and is a popular recent addition to our training team.  Paul's colleagues remark on his 'excellent communication skills, empathy and sensitivity' and his natural ability to communicate in a calm, measured and professional way ensures he creates a comfortable and supportive atmosphere for teaching.  Previous delegates on Paul's courses have commented that he is knowledgeable, supportive and easily approachable and he has been highly recommended.

THE LEGAL BITS

ISC Medical is a trade name for Interview Skills Consulting Ltd.

Address: 97 Judd Street, London WC1H 9JG
Tel: 0845 226 9487

Registered in the UK. Reg no. 05353995
VAT no. 859 0118 18