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POSSIBLE ENTRY POINTS INTO THE NHS
GME
in Pakistan GME in
THE UK GME in THE
USA
It is possible to enter the NHS
from your own country at different levels of your professional development.
Currently the vast majority enter at the SHO grade. In 2006 there will be
immense competition for the FY2 grade and in 2007 for the BST grades. Besides
the SHO/FY2/BST grades, the other entry points are:
As previously stated, while it
is technically possible for an overseas student to obtain his medical degree and
come straight to the UK to do his PRHO or “house job” as it is also known, it is
very difficult to obtain one. All overseas graduates are strongly advised by the
GMC, the BMA, Careers BMJ, and others in the know to do their house jobs in
their own countries and not count on getting one in the UK. To be eligible to
apply for a PRHO/FY1 post, the doctor is expect to have attained his medical
degree, passed the PLAB and have a minimum band score of 7 in the IELTS (this is
explained below).
To be eligible at all for such
posts, the candidate must have secured his Membership with the Royal College (MRC)
of his specialty or obtained a degree from his own country of a comparable level
(like the FCPS degree of Pakistan). It is not easy to get these posts without
any UK
work experience whatsoever, and it will help the doctor’s chances of getting
such a post if he manages to get a clinical attachment in the UK for a period of
time. It is easier to get locum jobs in the Staff/Trust grades than it is to get
longer contracts, and an overseas doctor entering at this level would be helping
his chances if he concentrated on trying to get locums in this grade first
before seeking more long-term contracts.
As previously mentioned, there
are staff grade posts in hospitals reputed for having a good learning and
training environment. An overseas doctor might opt to enter the NHS at the
staff/trust grade post (after completing his MRC or equivalent in his home
country) rather than at the SHO/FY2/BST grade in order to avoid the bad job
situation of that grade. Such doctors, with MRCs or equivalent may be motivated
to work in the UK for a period of years to gain exposure to medical practice in
a first world country along with earning a substantial amount of money during
their time there. This is an attractive option for those doctors who can wait
4-5 years (after obtaining their medical degree) before going to the UK. In
those 4-5 years, they can obtain their memberships and “grow their CVs” (this is
explained below) so their chances of obtaining a good staff grade post is
increased. Ultimately, they’ll have the chance to enter the NHS into a well-paid
post with a good training element allowing them to improve on their expertise.
A senior, well-qualified,
experienced overseas doctor can enter the NHS in a locum capacity or a more
permanent one. The duration of the contract varies on a case-to-case basis. This
is possible at the present time mostly because the NHS is short of consultants
and is actively recruiting them from overseas. However, entering at the
consultant grade is beyond the scope of this manual (which is aimed at junior
doctors).
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