International Doctors

This webpage contains four sections:

  • Information for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) wishing to work in the UK
  • Information for Refugee Doctors wishing to work in the UK
  • Information for International Medical Graduates who have obtained a post in the North West of England
  • Information for Trusts who are employing International Medical Graduates

Please scroll down to see the information which is relevant to you.

 

INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES (IMGs) WISHING TO WORK IN THE UK

There are a number of websites which provide useful information if you are thinking of coming to work in the UK.  It is strongly recommended that you consider this information carefully to help you to decide whether coming to work in the UK is the right option for you. 

NHS Employers  

Contains guidance on:

  • Information about the NHS
  • Details of the benefits of working in the UK
  • Information about registration and immigration requirements

The NHS Health Careers website provides an overview of key information you need to know, including types of registration and English Language proficiency requirements.

The General Medical Council (GMC) provides information on what it’s like to work as a doctor in the UK and the standards you must meet.  All doctors who wish to practice medicine in the UK need to be both registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and hold a licence to practice. 

The British Medical Association (BMA) provides a variety of support and guidance for international doctors.

BMJ Careers can support international medical graduates who want to work in the UK by putting them in touch with supportive UK based employers and giving them the tools to succeed in their applications.

Road to UK is a website developed by two international medical graduates who came to work in the UK and provides a variety of useful guidance and resources. 

The Medical Training Initiative is a national scheme designed to allow a small number of doctors to enter the UK from overseas for a maximum of 24 months, so that they can benefit from training and development in NHS services before returning to their home countries.   

Specialty Training recruitment information can be found here.  If you are considering applying for specialty training posts, you are advised to look at the information about the number of applicants for posts by specialty, which can be found hereTraining posts in the popular specialties and in popular places (e.g. London) are likely to be filled by doctors from the UK.

Information on IMG Support Available in Trusts in the North West

Some of the trusts in the North West have provided information regarding the opportunities and support they offer for International Doctors. This information includes:

  • Key contacts
  • Areas of good practice
  • Availability of clinical attachments

Information for the trusts below can be accessed HERE:

  • Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
  • Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

Other useful website links

 

 

INFORMATION FOR REFUGEE DOCTORS WISHING TO WORK IN THE UK

There is guidance for refugee doctors on the General Medical Council website.

The British Medical Association has a free refugee doctor initiative which provides you with a range of benefits to help suitably trained doctors to get a licence to practise in the UK.

 

 

INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES (IMGs) WHO HAVE OBTAINED A POST IN THE NORTH WEST

Congratulations on obtaining a post in the North West.  Welcome to the North West, a handbook for International Medical Graduates new to the UK can be found here.  

We would love you to attend our enhanced induction programme for International Medical Graduates.  This is a half-day session run every 6 months.  Please contact england.imgsupport@nhs.net  for details of the next session.

International Medical Graduates with a national training number (NTN) are eligible to access the Supported Return to Training (SuppoRTT) programme. Please visit our SuppoRTT pages for information about the programme and what is available. 

Resources

Introduction

A short introduction to the purpose of this podcast series

Episode One

GP trainee, Dr CJ covers tips for the portfolio and how to escalate to seniors as an IMG doctor

Episode Two

Dr Elyas, Paediatrics ST4 shares her journey into training and the challenges she faced

Episode Three

Dr Cristina shares her experiences of communication challenges at work and working less than full time

Episode Four

Dr Kike describes the challenges she faced with bringing her family to the UK as well as challenges with the visa process as an IMG doctor

Episode Five

Dr Mahwish shares experiences from her trust grade job, reverse mentoring, resilience and self-compassion as an IMG

Episode Six

Differential Attainment GP TPD, Dr Robert Amedzro, shares his views on the common challenges faced by IMG trainees

Episode Seven

EDI Lead and HR Manager, Mano Jamieson, discusses what HR teams can do to improve the IMG transition, recognising racism and how to respond to microaggressions

Episode Eight

Dr Tolu, a trust grade IMG doctor, shares her experience of adapting to working in the UK, overcoming communication difficulties and social isolation

 

The 'Healthy English' Website

'Healthy English' the website to support the language and communication skills of non-native speakers of English, their colleagues and their trainers working in the NHS can now be accessed at: consultationskills.com. Please see the flyer for further details and information on how to register. 


 

INFORMATION FOR TRUSTS WHO ARE EMPLOYING INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES (IMGs)

International Recruitment Toolkit: NHS Employers has an International Recruitment Toolkit which provides information about good practice in recruitment and induction of staff from overseas.

Medical Training Initiative: If you are thinking of employing doctors via the Medical Training Initiative (MTI), refer to the guidance on the AoMRC website. You will need to obtain approval from NHSE NW for all MTI posts - information about the approval process is available here

Induction Checklist and Good Practice Guidance NHSE NW has produced an Induction Checklist and Good Practice Guidance for supervisors of international medical graduates new to the UK, which is available here.