Trust Bank
A really warm welcome to all of our international medical graduates.
Coming to the UK can be an exciting and challenging time. Negotiating the NHS and coming into a new health economy can be equally daunting.
This page aims to introduce you to Dorset HealthCare and a little about working within the NHS.
Working at Dorset HealthCare
Dorset HealthCare is a large trust which looks after both physical and mental healthcare for the people of Dorset, and is part of the Wessex Deanery. The Wessex Deanery is responsible for training in both primary and secondary care across Wessex. There are a host of resources for international medical graduates on the Wessex deanery website including an excellent handbook for Doctors coming from overseas.
The Wessex deanery runs an induction programme for all Wessex trainees the dates of upcoming courses may be found on the Wessex deanery website. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) - Working across Wessex (hee.nhs.uk)
Living in Dorset
Dorset is a beautiful part of the UK. Situated on the south coast, Dorset offers miles of excellent and safe beaches. There are a number of large towns within Dorset, from the large and bustling towns of Poole and Bournemouth to the quiet market towns of Blandford and Shaftesbury. Dorset really has it all.
The far west of Dorset is Lyme Regis a picturesque and extremely beautiful journey along the coast from Poole and Bournemouth. The county boasts one of the largest natural harbours in the world making it the perfect place for water sports. The isles of Purbeck and Portland are home to some unique wildlife as well as some tiny and picturesque medieval villages.
Coming to the UK
In order to come to the UK you will need to have a tier 2 visa or a spouse visa. If you have been recruited by the trust, we will supply a letter of sponsorship which will allow you to apply for your visa before coming to the UK. More details can be found on the government website.
Breaking News - GMC Sponsorship
We are very proud to announce that Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust has recently been accredited as GMC sponsors. This will mean that some International Medical Graduates will be able to apply directly, bypassing the necessity for PLAB examinations/MLA examinations.
If you apply through sponsorship, you will need to satisfy the trust that you possess the knowledge, skills and experience required for practising as a fully registered medical practitioner in the UK. If you can satisfy the requirements of the Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust scheme, you be issued with a Sponsorship Registration Certificate (SRC) which you will need for your application with us. Please ensure this is a Sponsorship Registration Certificate for GMC registration, as we can’t accept UK visa sponsorship certificates for your application for registration.
Please note that a core part of all sponsors' criteria is that a doctor applying for an offer of sponsorship must have been engaged in medical practice for three out of the last five years including the most recent 12 months. If you cannot meet these minimum criteria, it is unlikely that you'll be able to supply sufficient evidence to support your application for sponsorship.
Doctors applying through sponsorship are required to demonstrate their English language skills by achieving our current minimum scores in the academic version of the IELTS test or the OET (medicine version).
If the job that you are applying for, is not covered by the sponsorship scheme you will need to work through the application process gaining GMC registration as usual by completing PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 examinations the process of this is detailed below.
The General Medical Council is an independent organisation which aims to improve patient safety through medical education and regulation. All doctors are required to be registered with the GMC and have a licence to practice in order to work within the UK. Details of how to apply may be found at the GMC website.
This is quite a long process, and you will need to allow plenty of time in order to secure registration with the GMC. If your primary medical qualification is from outside of the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you will need to demonstrate competencies in both English language and medical knowledge. You may be required to complete 1 or more of the competencies listed below.
A guide to the PLAB test
The Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test, known as the PLAB test, helps us to make sure doctors who qualified abroad have the right knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK.
Do you need to take the PLAB test?
If you graduated from a medical school outside of the UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you’ll probably need to take the PLAB test. The PLAB test will check that you know and can do the same as a doctor starting the second year of their Foundation Programme training in the UK.
What does the PLAB test involve?
There are two parts to the test. Part 1 is a written multiple-choice exam, with 180 single best answer questions. Part 2 is a practical objective structured clinical exam, known as an OSCE. You’ll need to pass both parts before you can apply for registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK.
What do you need before you can take PLAB?
Before you can take the PLAB test, you’ll need to set up a GMC Online account and show us that your medical qualification and knowledge of English are acceptable. Your information will be verified, and if it meets our requirements, you can book your place on part 1 of the PLAB test.
PLAB part 1
PLAB 1 is a written exam made up of 180 multiple choice questions which you must answer within three hours. Each starts with a short scenario followed by a question. You need to choose the right answer out of the five possible answers given. You can sit part 1 in a number of countries, as well as in the UK. Have a look at the available locations and dates when you log in to GMC Online.
PLAB part 2
PLAB 2 is an objective structured clinical exam. It's made up of 16 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes and aims to reflect real life settings including a mock consultation or an acute ward. Part 2 tests run throughout the year at our clinical assessment centre.
What happens after you’ve passed PLAB 1 and PLAB 2?
Once you’ve passed both parts, you can apply for registration with a licence to practise. Your application must be approved within two years of passing part 2 of the test. Once we approve your application and you gain registration you can work as a doctor in the UK. When you are ready to apply for GMC registration please use the following link. Apply for registration and/or licensing with us.
In addition to passing parts 1 and 2 of the PLAB examination, and before taking PLAB 1 and 2, you will also need to demonstrate competency in English. This can be either International English Language test. For this to be accepted you must demonstrate the following:
For IELTS:
- you took the academic version of the test
- that you got a score of 7 in each area with an overall score of 7.5
- that you received these scores in the same test
- that you got these scores on your most recent sitting of the test
- the original stamp and test report form number.
For OET:
- that you took the medicine version of the test
- you received at least a grade B in each testing area. There are four separate testing areas, speaking, listening, reading and writing
- that you were awarded those grades in the same test
- your candidate number
- that you obtained the grades in your most recent sitting of the test.
Founded in 1948, the National Health Service provides core medical services to the UK and Northern Ireland. Coming into a new health economy can be extremely daunting. The NHS has provided a number of useful weblinks to make the process of negotiating the various parts of the NHS. Perhaps the easiest place to start is. Working and training in the NHS - a guide for international medical graduates | NHS Employers
Namrata’s story
Hi fellow IMGs! I’m Namrata, a core trainee in psychiatry, based at St Ann’s Hospital, Poole. I was born in India and raised in the Middle East in Kuwait. I completed my medical school in Dublin, Ireland in 2017, then went to Dubai, UAE to do my Internship. Following this I did my PLABs and started to apply for Trust jobs in the UK. I started my journey here by working in acute medicine in Dudley (a place I’d never even heard of at the time) and then applied for training when I felt ready.
I believe my experience is different from others in the sense that I had exposure to an English speaking country prior to moving here, yet the experience as a medical student in Dublin compared to a junior doctor in the NHS was very different, especially as I found myself working in the midst of COVID. I found it isolating and difficult being away from my family in a place where I was trying to fit in whilst working with no end in sight, given the circumstances at the time.
As there often is with difficult situations, my situation also had a silver lining, I found myself coming to the realisation that though I was in a different country and the system was new to me, I had the knowledge I needed and shared mutual goals with the professionals around me. This felt empowering.
After moving to Dorset for my psychiatry training I realised how different this was from being at a general hospital with around fifteen doctors in a team to now only around three, if not less! This again required an adjustment period as I found myself a little lost not knowing or seeing colleagues around to discuss things with or just speak to. In time things became easier and I found myself closer to the nurses and admin team who I now call my friends.
Before I moved to the UK I wish I knew that though things would be different and difficult, things would also be better with regards to the opportunities I will have. I wish I knew that I would be well supported by my supervisors and other IMGs. I wish I knew that though I’d hate the rain and darker days in winter, I’ll love the lights and Christmas markets! I wish I reminded myself that my different experiences could also be my strength and add value to the team, and how they ‘need’ me as much as I ‘need’ them.
We recognise that coming to the UK as a health professional and as a refugee will be extremely challenging. We are committed to making the transition to the UK as smooth as possible. Dorset HealthCare will offer you the following commitments:
- You will receive educational and clinical supervision when you start as a clinician.
- You will receive help with your visa application.
- You will receive help with finding accommodation.
In addition, there are a number of external agencies across the UK which have extensive experience in helping refugee colleagues to navigate the NHS. Please follow the following links for more information.
- The British Medical Association has excellent advice for International Medical Graduates coming to the UK . The British Medical Association is a union of doctors which was set up to champion the cause of doctors across the UK. Help for refugee doctors (bma.org.uk)
- The General Medical Council has extensive advice available for doctors coming to the UK as refugees: Help for refugee doctors - GMC (gmc-uk.org)