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How can I register to practise medicine in the UK?
Before you can do any clinical work, or write prescriptions, you must
be on the UK medical register. The register is held by the General
Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory and disciplinary body of the
medical profession. The arrangements for medical registration differ
depending on where you gained your primary medical qualification.
Doctors who are citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) or
Switzerland, and who gained their primary medical qualification in the
EEA or Switzerland, are entitled to full registration with the GMC.
Doctors who do not satisfy both criteria will need to provide
the GMC with objective evidence that they have the knowledge and skills
required to work as a doctor in the UK. Initially, they need to
demonstrate their English language competence either by taking the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or by providing
alternative evidence (for example, demonstrating that the language of
instruction of your medical degree was English). Further information on
language proficiency is available from the GMC website.
Objective evidence is provided by satisfying one of the following:
- passing the GMC administered two part Professional
and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test, which tests basic medical
competence and ability to communicate in English for suitability to
work at F2 level
- being selected for postgraduate training by a UK medical Royal College or Faculty, or by a number of postgraduate institutions
- doctors who have completed basic specialist training
Detailed information is available from the GMC website.
What are the immigration requirements for working in the UK?
Nationals of the EEA do not require permission to work in the UK.
Doctors who do not have EEA citizenship will need to satisfy the
immigration rules in order to work in the UK. As a general rule you
will need a work permit to work in the UK, which must be obtained by
your employer, who will usually be required to show that no suitably
qualified resident worker was available to do the job. The process is
simplified if the post is considered a shortage occupation. A work
permit is specific to a particular post, and if you move to another job
before the work permit expires, you will need a new permit. After five
years spent on a work permit a doctor can apply for indefinite leave to
remain (permanent residency) in the UK. Further information is
available from the Working in the UK website.
After the employer has successfully applied for a work permit, the
doctor must submit an application for limited leave to remain. This is
the permission an individual needs to stay in the UK and is granted in
line with their Immigration Employment Document (IED) - in this case, a
work permit. For further information about work permit applications, go
to the Working in the UK website.
Non-EEA doctors who are graduates of UK medical schools should apply
for the Postgraduate Doctor and Dentist category. Permission to work
can be granted for up to three years to enable the doctor to complete
the foundation programme and gain GMC registration. For more
information go to the Border and Immigration Agency website.
How does the medical training system work in the UK?
Postgraduate training is carried out in salaried posts in the National
Health Service (NHS). When doctors have completed their undergraduate
medical degree they will spend two years on a foundation programme.
Foundation Year 1 (F1), the pre-registration year, is similar to the
‘internship' year undertaken by medical graduates in other countries,
and, upon successful completion, a doctor will be granted full
registration. Foundation Year 2 builds on competencies learnt during F1
as well as generic competencies including time management, IT skills
and team working, which are applicable to all areas of medicine.
Further information about the foundation programme is available from
the Foundation Programme website.
Upon completion of the foundation programme doctors undertake specialty
training programmes, at the end of which they will obtain a Certificate
of Completion of Training (CCT) which entitles them to be admitted to
the GMC's specialist or GP register and to apply for consultant/general
practice posts. Further information about specialty training programmes
is available from the Modernising Medical Careers website.
Can I undertake the Foundation Programme?
As the number of foundation programme places is very limited, doctors
from medical schools outside the UK are strongly advised to complete
their pre-registration year in their country of graduation.
Furthermore, applications to the foundation programme are limited, in
the first instance, to doctors who have not already completed a
pre-registration year. When all eligible applicants have been placed,
doctors who are already entitled to full registration may apply.
Further information about eligibility if available from the Foundation Programme website.
Can I undertake specialty training?
Places on the specialty training programmes are achieved through open
competition and anyone is able to apply. However, at present,
competition is extremely fierce, with many UK doctors unable to secure
training places. Under the immigration rules, doctors requiring a work
permit will only be eligible for employment when there are no suitably
qualified resident workers available to do the job. International
doctors are strongly advised to think carefully before coming to the UK
to undertake specialty training.
Can I work as a General Practitioner?
If
you are a citizen of the EEA and have either completed recognised
specific training in general practice in the EEA, or have a certificate
of acquired rights from an EEA Member State (i.e. that you were
entitled to work as a GP in another EEA country on 31 December 1994),
you will need to present you certificate to the Postgraduate Medical
Education and Training Board (PMETB) for automatic recognition. If your
general practice training was undertaken outside the EEA you will need
to apply to the PMETB for an assessment of your qualifications and
experience, in order to qualify for a Certificate confirming
Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPR). For more
information go to the PMETB website.
Can I work as a consultant?
All consultants working in the UK must be on the GMC's specialist
register. If you are a citizen of the EEA, completed your basic medical
qualification in the EEA and hold a recognised EEA higher specialist
qualification, you are automatically eligible for admission to the
specialist register. Other doctors will need to have their specialist
training assessed by the PMETB which will assess your training and
experience to see if it is equivalent to the UK's own specialist
training programme. If so, you will be granted a Certificate confirming
Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).
How do I find a job?
Jobs are advertised in medical journals such as the BMJ Careers section or The Lancet as well as NHS Jobs.
Information about applying to the foundation programme can be found on
the Foundation Programme website. Any foundation posts that are
unfilled will be advertised in the BMA. Information about specialty
training programmes can be found on the Modernising Medical Careers website.
How easy is it to find work as a doctor in the UK?
There are some opportunities for consultants - fully trained
specialists - GPs, and for jobs in non-training grades. However, there
is extremely high competition for training posts in the UK at present
and it is anticipated that there will be severe medical unemployment
within the training grades for the next few years. Furthermore, on
account of the immigration rules, doctors who require work permits may
only be considered for posts if no suitable resident workers have
applied. This has meant that it is even more difficult for
international doctors to secure employment in training posts.
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