Overseas internship requirements for International Medical Graduates

Acceptable internship requirements for International Medical Graduates

If you’re applying for full registration with a licence to practise, you need to prove that you have gained the experience needed to work as a fully registered doctor in the UK.

You will need to show that you have either successfully completed Year 1 of the Foundation programme (F1) in the UK, or an internship. This is a period of pre-graduate or post-graduate clinical experience outside the UK.

What’s the criteria for an internship?

Your internship must meet the following criteria:

• Involve a minimum of 12 months of continuous medical practice
• In the first year, you must not have more than 20 days’ absence. This is in addition to the annual leave allowance which can be up to 5 weeks.
• After the first year, any break taken must be no more than 12 months and be authorised by the organisation employing you or overseeing the internship

Criteria if you have completed 12 months continuous practice in the final year of study or immediately after graduation:

• Be an approved training post
• Involve regular educational and clinical supervision
• Involve periods of practice which were continuous, uninterrupted internship rotations

How much time needs to have been spent practising in medicine and surgery?

If you’ve completed 12-18 months, you must have spent at least three months practising in medicine and three months practising in surgery.

If you’ve completed 18 months or longer, you must have spent at least six months practising in medicine and six months practising in surgery.

Criteria if you have completed a minimum of two years post-graduate medical practice in at least one branch of medicine and one branch of surgery

• It must have been undertaken in a public hospital that meets the standards for regulation within its jurisdiction and has established supervision, safety, and governance systems in place.
• Was completed under supervision

How much time needs to have been spent practising in medicine and surgery?

• includes at least three months of practising medicine, continuously and without interruption.
• includes at least three months of practising surgery, continuously and without interruption.

I have done an honorary post, is this acceptable?

Your internship must be in an approved training post and not an honorary post. The GMC will only accept experience with active medical practice with direct patient contact.

They do not accept experience from posts that involved observation such as:

• Clinical attachments
• Shadowing
• Observerships
• Clerkships

I had to take a break from medical practice, will this affect my application?

After the first year, any break before you return to medical practice must be no more than 12 months and be authorised by the organisation employing you or overseeing the internship. The GMC will consider cases where breaks have been taken for reasons other than the pursuit of medical-related education, training or experience, or contractual maternity/paternity leave. You may need to provide evidence to support your case.

What evidence do I need to provide?

The GMC will ask to see evidence of your experience in the form of a signed certificate or a document outlining the dates and duration of all rotations. The document confirming successful completion of the program must have the date of issue and match the date the programme ended. At Espirita, we’re passionate about the quality of our people and proud of the services we provide. If you need information or guidance with your internship placement, register today with Espirita. Our team are here to help international doctors find great work opportunities in the UK.