HOW TO GO ABOUT IT!

Before you proceed, please click on this link indi_go and go through the plight of doctors already in the UK. Jobs are not easy to get and you can get an idea of the competition from the requests for help.

If you have previous experience in Anaesthesia, and if you satisfy the Royal College of Anaesthetists' criteria, you could qualify for sponsorship by the RCA : see below.

If you have no previous experience in Anaesthesia, you can still seek a career in Anaesthesia in UK, but you will have to take the PLAB test and pass it. Please remember that passing PLAB is only the first step and does not guarantee a job in any way. There are innumerable doctors who are stuck after PLAB and are unable to get a job within 6 months.

Please be aware of this and do not be disappointed afterwards!

The GMC Flow chart shows the scheme and can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding links (in blue), on the flow chart below:

What type of registration can you apply for?

Use the chart below to identify the appropriate route to registration for you. Click the highlighted text for further information. (GMC Link) : FOR THE FULLY INTERACTIVE FLOW CHART CLICK ON THE 'GMC LINK'

2. The Royal College of Anaesthetists requires applicants to meet the following additional criteria:
   1. To be working, or have worked within the last six months, in their home country.
   2. To provide supportive references from two supervising consultants/recent employers.
   3. To hold a higher postgraduate qualification in anaesthesia that requires three or more years of clinical training, awarded by (and with a syllabus and standards set by) a national qualifications board, e.g.
      India - Diplomate of the National Board (DNB)
      Pakistan – Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan
      Sri-Lanka - MD Postgraduate Institute of Medicine Sri Lanka
      

3. The Royal College of Anaesthetists, in special circumstances, may agree to act as a sponsor for doctors who do not fulfil the criteria outlined above in Paragraph 2c. In such cases the College would expect the following:
   1. The applicant's overseas referees should hold the FRCA or an equivalent qualification and be distinguished medical practitioners known personally by a UK based Consultant Anaesthetist.
   2. The UK based Consultant should be prepared to assist the applicant in securing a suitable training position and ensure appropriate supervision. This should be confirmed in writing to the RCA by the consultant at the time of application.

4. Doctors intending to enter the CCST (Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training) programme in the UK should be aware that the entry to the Specialist Registrar Grade is competitive and cannot be guaranteed. Candidates wishing to enter the programme would normally be expected to have completed a minimum of 12 months in a medical specialty, other than anaesthesia.

Changes to Registration with the GMC!! (Click on this link to see the latest information)

The First step is to confirm your eligibility to obtain Registration with GMC.

This is usually Limited Registration.

To obtain this, you should either pass the PLAB test or obtain exemption from the PLAB test.

In either case, you would still need to pass the IELTS exam.

Click on this link to go to the GMC page: Registration for Doctors for details about Registration.

If you are trying to get exemption from the PLAB test, you should confirm your eligibility for this by writing to the RCA. To see the Training and Working options, go to the RCA website : Click Here!

Yorkshire Deanery Handbook for Overseas Doctors: click on this link to see the excellent Handbook which gives a lot of information for Overseas Doctors.

You will find the details of all the information given above in this handbook.
You can either open the word document on the web or save and print or read at leisure

Please Note!

It is increasingly getting more and more difficult to get jobs especially in certain specialties.

Whether you pass PLAB or get exemption from PLAB, the competition is very heavy and please be mentally prepared for a delay of upto about 6 months between eligibility to apply for jobs and actually getting jobs. If it takes less than this time, count yourself extremely lucky.

Indi_go Click on this link to go to the Yahoo Group of Indi_go. You have to join the group (Free!) to access the Forum. Here you can see the practical difficulties faced by Overseas Doctors and could be useful to learn from others' experiences.

Please go to "Academic Page" for links to PLAB related sites.

FAQ: Click on this link to go to Frequently Asked Questions!

MEDICAL TRAINING IN UK

Department of Health link : click on this link to go to the downloadable pdf file about Medical Training in UK or via the Department of Health Home Page at www.doh.gov.uk

Modernising Medical Careers

I have included the links below, even though it is a long list, because the MMC is of vital importance to Overseas Doctors. This is going to change the prospects, eligibility and probably the number of job vacancies as well.

So please make yourself familiar with this New system!

What is the Modernising Medical Careers Programme?

The Modernising Medical Careers project is a major reform of postgraduate medical training.

Fundamental to the new system is the two-year Foundation Programme.

Information about the programme is available : HERE

ODTS Scheme

Overseas Doctors Training Scheme

The Overseas Doctors Training Scheme (ODTS) is designed for anaesthetists currently working outside the European Union who wish to come to the UK for a limited period of specialist training before returning to their home country.

# ODTS guidance »
# ODTS application form and structured reference forms »

This page last updated on 16/06/2009 More>>>

We are ambassadors of our countries and the UK is one of the few countries that we can enter without an exam. They do this on the basis of your qualifications and experience and the respect given to Senior Consultants Overseas.

It is up to every one of us to uphold the standards of our countries. This helps not only us, but it makes it a lot easier for our successors. Things have been tightened only because some of us have misused the system and taken some short cuts.

There is a lot of goodwill involved and it is our responsibility not to lose it.

The following information will be useful for Senior and Experienced Anaesthetists who might be able to obtain a Consultant post in the UK!

Click on the RCA logo to go to the web page that gives you the Non Training, senior posts that you can apply for. Scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see links to these schemes!

Click on the DOH logo to go to their Website

regarding information about the Medical Training Initiative Scheme (Please be very very clear about what you are getting from this)!!!

THE HIGHLY SKILLED MIGRANT PROGRAMME (HSMP)

BE AWARE OF RECENT CHANGES TO HSMP!! NOW THE TOTAL DURATION IS 5 YEARS BEFORE YOU GET ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

However, the initial grant is for 2 years now. Employers are interpreting the HSMP guidelines differently from the Home Office but hopefully this will be resolved soon

This leaflet explains the scheme for highly skilled individuals wishing to come or remain in the United Kingdom to seek and take work. The Programme has been revised in light of experience gained since its launch on 28 January 2002.


The programme is designed to allow individuals with exceptional personal skills and experience to come or remain in the United Kingdom to seek and take work.

This leaflet should be seen as a guide and aims to give a potential applicant an idea of whether they can qualify and how the application process works.

If you need more information about an immigration matter, please look at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) website

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/

or write to IND at the address provided at the back of this guidance.

FOR REPUBLIC OF IRELAND!