Doctor Jobs in United Kingdom (UK) | International Healthcare Career

There are many schemes offering training posts to overseas doctors. The most well-known is the Medical Training Initiative, run by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Recruitment focuses of suitably qualified, overseas, post graduate medical specialists (who have passed Part 1 membership exams for the Royal College of Physicians). Successful applicants are recruited for a fixed period of training in the UK before returning to their home healthcare system. The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) offer post graduate training programmes in association with Health Education England. The training scheme is offered to applicants who do not have relevant postgraduate training in India. BAPIO offers a route to gain both membership and fellowship in various specialties + leadership training through a combination of posts in both India and the UK for a fixed term (2-4 years). Most training schemes operate on a time-limited Tier 5 vias (which only lasts 2 years) where Doctors must return to India at the end of their training.

The PLAB exam tests the applicant’s knowledge and skills to ensure that they are as qualified as a UK 2nd year Foundation doctor.

1. PLAB part 1- written exam of 180 multiple choice questions (3 hours to complete). Short scenarios followed by a question. This exam can be sat in the applicant’s home country.
2. PLAB 2- an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) involving interaction with actors, Simulated mannequins, and medical equipment. 18 scenarios for 8 minutes each. This exam aims to reflect real life scenarios. This test has to be completed at the GMC’s clinical assessment center in Manchester, United Kingdom.

1. Pinpoint where your training and skills fit in UK healthcare system.
2. Decide career goals in the UK and duration- this will determine the route taken e.g., training schemes provide GMC registration, visa applications but are time limited and require doctors to return to their home country post training.
3. Register with the General Medical Council (GMC). 3 types of registration available: provisional registration is only available to doctors completing their first year of foundation training (as a junior doctor). To apply for full registration, overseas doctors need to provide evidence of MBBS degree + at least 1-year internship experience (continuously for 12 months with 3 months in medicine and 3 months in surgery). Valid IELTS certificate (7 in all subject areas and overall score of 7.5) or OET certificate (minimum grade B in all areas). Overseas doctors must also pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test. Applicants must apply for GMC registration within 2 years of passing PLAB. Specialist registration– for overseasdoctors who have not completed the UK specialty training posts. Known as the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) route. Applicants must provide evidence of experience, skills and knowledge which is assessed by the relevant Royal College to determine if experience is equivalent to current post-graduate qualification. However, evidence can total 1000 pages and take 6-9 months to assess.
4. Specialist qualifications gained in the United Kingdom are highly recognized in a wide range of countries by health care and public systems. This provides UK doctors with countless opportunities across the world for great career growth.
5. Apply for visa- tier 2 visa sponsored by employer (training scheme sponsored visas are tier 5). Employers must provide a certificate of sponsorship. Tier 2 visa lasts 5 years. Candidates need to apply for new sponsorship if they change employer/location (doctors on training schemes do not).
6. Book flights to work in UK.

Since 1 April 2006, all doctors working in general practice in the NHS in the UK (other than doctors in training such as GP registrars) are required to be on the GP Register. This requirement extends to locums.

If you have not completed the UK GP Certificate of Completion of Training programme you will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPR), which will then enable you to be entered on the GP Register.

All consultants (other than a locum consultant appointment) must be on the specialist register of the General Medical Council (GMC). To be eligible to apply for specialist registration with the GMC, doctors must have successfully completed a GMC-approved training programme and been granted one of the following certificates:

• Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)
• Certificate confirming Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)

Doctors who have not completed a full GMC-approved training programme and wish to have their training, qualifications and experience assessed for eligibility for entry onto the specialist register must make an application under The General and Specialist Medical Practice Order for a CESR. It is not possible to hold specialist registration without also holding full registration.

Full registration enables doctors to work in any form of professional medical practice in the UK, provided they hold a licence to practise. Doctors must, however, also hold specialist registration to take up a consultant post (other than a locum consultant post); and those wishing to work as GPs must be on the GP register.

Doctors qualifying from outside the UK may be eligible to apply directly for full registration if they hold an acceptable primary medical qualification and have completed a period of postgraduate clinical experience (internship).

A doctor will need to provide documentary evidence to support their application. Only original documents can be accepted. To complete the process, all doctors must visit the GMC in person to undergo a pre-registration identity check. A photograph of the doctor will be taken and this will be made available to employers so they can be assured of the doctor’s identity.

UK graduates and IMGs who are new to full registration and taking up a new job, or restoring their names to the register after a prolonged absence from practice, are required to work within an approved practice setting (APS) as assessed by the GMC as suitable for doctors new to full registration. The GMC recommends that EEA graduates ensure that they also work in an APS when they first take up employment in the UK under full registration. Most NHS employers will have approved practice setting status.

The purpose of the APS system is to provide public protection by requiring doctors new, or returning, to full registration in the UK to work within a system with appropriate supervision and appraisal arrangements or assessments.

Provisional registration (alongside a license to practice) only allows newly qualified doctors to undertake an approved Foundation Year 1 post. The law does not allow provisionally registered doctors to work in any other type of post. On successful completion of Foundation Year 1, you will be able to apply for full GMC registration.

Provisional registration is available to doctors with the following nationality, rights and qualifications:

• UK medical graduates who have completed their medical degree at a UK University recognised in the Medical Act 1983
• International medical graduates who have an acceptable primary medical qualification and who have passed the PLAB test but who have not completed an internship
• Nationals from the EEA, Switzerland and other countries with EC rights who qualified outside of the EEA and Switzerland
• Nationals from the EEA, Switzerland and doctors who have EC rights who qualified at EEA or Swiss medical schools
• Doctors who have qualified in an EEA member state can apply to do their practical training (internship) in the UK if the practical training counts towards a medical degree which requires this for compliance with Directive 2005/36/EC