Ahmed

Ideally, an international medical graduate needs to resign only once from his/her job in the NHS- the non training post. This is the usual career progression for an IMG doctor (in medicine): 1. Trust grade SHO post for 6 month to 1 year. 2. Resign from non training post. 3. Enter training post However some people tend to waver a bit from this plan as they - Feel unsettled in their first job and "think" that they would be more settled if they apply and work in another non training post. - They have genuine issues which they did not think of before applying for their current job- eg, it is in the wrong specialty the do not wish to train in, it is far away from their home, etc. Either way- They ask me to give them advice on resigning. Here are some frequently asked questions: When can I resign from my job? You need to give your trust a notice period to your trust. What is a notice period? This is the time you need to continue working in that trust till the HR, rota coordinato...

Please note that this blog post does not intend to demoralize or offend anybody. I have noticed a lot of doctors asking questions on forums despite everything mentioned clearly in the form of official guidelines and blogs. They are reassured by multiple people yet they are still not convinced. Quite often, I am messaged later on and give them further reassurance. This is how the conversation usually starts: I am really worried about my visa. I applied one week ago and have not heard back from them. I have heard that doctors do not get jobs in the UK I have heard that PLAB is very hard I am worried I would be deported I accepted a job one week ago but my certificate of sponsorship is not back. I am very worried. This is my response: Kindly do not worry. Please read these blogs in detail: https://naseersjourney.com http://omarsguidelines.blogspot.co.uk https://naseersjourney.com/useful-links/ I have read these blogs and I am still worried.  So I reassure them again which eve...

What is a locum shift? This is an extra shift outside your regular work hours when there is understaffing on an on call shift/ on the wards.  What does it consist of? This is just like a regular ward shift or on call shift which you would be normally doing.  Are we paid for it? Yes. We are. This varies on the post you have taken up. For SHO posts it varies from 35 GBP an hour to 50 GBP an hour.  Can we negotiate this rate? If the team is very desperate they may call/message/email you and ask you to come and do a shift which is negotiable. They will clearly state that this shift has a negotiable rate.  When does this usually happen? During winter pressures when there is a lot of understaffing. The HR, Rota coordinators and bed managers contact all junior doctors and ask them to come in for a negotiable rate.  How do we negotiate these rates? Call the bed managers and ask what rate they are offering. If your trusts rate is 35 GBP and they say t...

As doctors working in the NHS, we are entitled to paid leave. The number of leaves allowed per year increases as we move up in our career. We are not used to leaves in our home countries and are not familiar with the system here. I would like to give you a general idea about leaves. If you have any doubt, kindly talk to your rota coordinator and HR. DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEAVES What is annual leave? Doctors are entitled to a certain number of days off in each year - This is usually divided in each rotations. Ie- if you have 3 rotations then you can take 9 days off in each rotation if you are entitled to 27 days off (as most non trainee SHOs are). Some trusts do allow cross over of days not taken in one rotation into the next. It is best you confirm this with your rota coordinator. Please read this official guidance: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/leave/leave-overview What is study leave? Doctors are entitled to take some days off for studying for exams, attending courses an...

THE BASICS Please go through this website: http://www.ct1recruitment.org.uk It has each and every detail and is self explanatory What is core medical training (CMT)? In the UK, doctors pass through a series of training programs to become a consultant in medicine: 1. Foundation year training (FY1 and FY2)- a 2 year programme  2. Core training (CT1 and 2 and in come cases CT3)- a 2 to 3 years programme 3. Specialty training (starting from ST3 and going to ST7) - 5 year programme Can an international medical graduate get into CMT? Yes, as CMT has round 1 and round 2, a international medical graduate (IMG) who is not a UK resident can apply for round 2.  The rounds are explained in detail here: http://omarsguidelines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/my-guideline-on-deciding-which.html Is there a guideline for CMT? This is the official website. Everything will be mentioned here: http://www.ct1recruitment.org.uk CMT application process for IMGs- A general guideline: http://omars...