Eligibility FAQs

When you apply to ST3, you do not need to be registered with & licensed by the GMC at the time of application; however if you are not registered, it will be necessary to demonstrate that you are eligible for GMC registration and licensing. It will be necessary to have obtained GMC registration & licensing by the time of starting an ST3 post.

On the ST3 application form, where candidates are prompted to select their current (at time of application) level of GMC registration/licensing, those who select 'None' will be given the opportunity to explain their particular circumstances in a free-text box within that section.

We would advise checking the GMC website for further information on eligibility: www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/applications.asp

Within recruitment to participating ST3 specialties, if you can supply evidence of achievement and demonstration of CT/ST-level competences, it will be taken as read that you have achieved and possess foundation-level competences; thus you do not need to provide evidence of foundation-level competences in applying to ST3 here.

Should you be invited to interview, you will be required to bring with you documentation which proves that you have attained CMT competence. The documentation that is required will differ depending on the training that you have experienced:

Those candidates currently in the second year of a two-year, GMC-approved CMT Programme will be required to show documentation of a satisfactory ARCP at CT1 level; they must also be on track to gain a satisfactory ARCP at CT2 level, and possibly also a CMT Certificate issued by JRCPTB (or affiliated college).

Those who have previously undertaken and completed core medical training (including those who undertook SHO-equivalent training prior to CT2 training) will be required to show documentation of a satisfactory ARCP outcome at CT2 level, and possibly also a CMT Certificate issued by JRCPTB (or affiliated college).

Candidates who have previously undertaken a College-approved SHO training programme, prior to the inception of PMETB approval in August 2007, will be required to submit proof of satisfactory General Professional Training (GPT). This can be in the form of a satisfactory RITA or Educational/Clinical Supervisor's report, or Certificate C (see below FAQ).

Where candidates have previously undertaken SHO or CMT-level training (in training or non-training posts), but do not have adequate proof of completion of training as defined above, they will be asked to explain why they do not have documentation. Beyond this, it will be necessary to provide alternative documentation - such as Certificate C (see below FAQ); other available evidence of CMT-equivalent competency, such as logbooks, appraisals, reflective practice, assessments, etc. If a candidate cannot provide proof of CMT (or equivalent) training, it will be at the discretion of recruiters to accept their claims to have achieved CMT-equivalent competency.

Certificate C is an MMC-approved document, allowing candidates who do not possess adequate proof of CMT (or equivalent) training to demonstrate their achievement of Core (CT/ST 1&2) competencies.

The document is essentially a list of CMT-level competencies, as defined in the CMT curriculum, and for use in ST3 recruitment must be completed by someone who has supervised the candidate for a period of three months or more, who can attest to the candidate’s achievement of CMT-level competencies. All competencies therein must be validated for the Certificate to be valid.

Certificate C should not be used instead of other, ‘superior’ forms of documentary evidence; eg candidates who are soon to complete, or have recently completed, CMT, and are able to provide satisfactory ARCP evidence should use that instead.

If you are using Certificate C to demonstrate your achievement of core competences (see above and the eligibility page of this website for more information), you should submit this to the deanery/UoA which will be long-listing your application*.

This can be done in one of two ways; the more straightforward is to upload the document to your application.

Uploading to your application

Within the 'core medicine competence' page of the application form, after selecting the relevant options, you will be asked if you are able to upload a copy of certificate C; if so, select 'yes' and then click on one of the 'browse' buttons which appear. This will allow you to locate the document on your computer and to being uploading it.

[NB - it is not possible to upload a document larger than 10MB; however, more than one document can be uploaded, so if your Certificate C is over 10MB, you can opt to split it into separate documents and upload them individually.]

Sending to deaneries/UoAs directly

If it is not possible to upload the document to your application, the alternative option is to submit your application and then send your Certificate C to the deanery/UoA* in question.

The easiest way of doing this is to attach the document to an email and send this to the deanery/UoA; the relevant email address can be found on the deanery/UoA contacts page of this website. In most cases, this will be the general recruitment helpdesk email address. Please include your details in the email, including name, application ID number, and GMC number

If emailing the document, or obtaining an electronic copy of it is not possible, then please contact the deanery to arrange an alternative method (eg fax).

*Provide a copy with each application

You will need to provide a copy of Certificate C alongside each application you submit; so if you submit an application within a specialty to deanery X and to deanery Z, both should be provided with a copy.

*SCA applications

For those candidates who are applying to specialties using the single cascadable application (SCA) model of recruitment, the deanery/UoA which will be long-listing your application (ie checking it meets eligibility criteria) will be the deanery/UoA you select as your first-choice preference.

Please note - for SCA specialties, only one Certificate C per application is needed, not per deanery/UoA. So for instance, a candidate applying to cardiology, who states four preferences of deanery/UoA, would only need to submit one single Certificate C to accompany their application as a whole; not four documents, ie one to each deanery/UoA preference.

Where possible, it is requested that refugee doctors provide documentation.

If your refugee status prevents you from accessing standard documentation and/or contacting recent supervisors, and thus prevents you from obtaining alternative certification of achievement of Core competency, please contact your local postgraduate deanery for advice before submitting your application.

Deaneries should be able to provide assistance in order to obtain documentation demonstrating achievement of Core competency.

Please note that in most cases, this does not apply to those seeking asylum, as asylum seekers are not eligible to apply – the majority of asylum seekers do not have the right to work while seeking asylum.

Some specialties (eg dermatology, palliative medicine, rehabilitation medicine, etc.) will accept candidates from alternative training routes (ie not from CMT/ACCS). Applicants must have, as a minimum, the initial part(s) of the exam related to their training (eg MRCPCH Parts 1A and B), and must be in a position to pass the full qualifying exam prior to taking up ST3 training.

Please see the relevant specialty page of this website and 2012 ST3 person specifications for more information.

In particular, for non-physicianly trainees considering making applications to the specialties of dermatology, haematology, palliative medicine or rehabilitation medicine, some specific information has been added to their particular specialty pages at the below links:

• dermatology
• haematology
• palliative medicine
• rehabilitation medicine.

As of 22 March 2012, the conference of postgraduate medical deaneries (COPMeD) produced some revised guidance on how the equivalence to MRCP(UK) of alternative postgraduate medical examinations will be judged - as below:

'The only examinations that should be treated as equivalent to MRCP(UK) for ST3 recruitment purposes (in 2012 only) are:

• MRCP(Ireland)
• MHKCP (Hong Kong)
• MMed Singapore.

'The Hong Kong and Singapore colleges require full MRCP(UK).

'No evidence [is available] to enable [deanery recruiters] to consider any other examinations to be equivalent, and MRCP(UK) is an international examination that is open to all.'

Unfortunately, we are not able to give advice or specific guidance to candidates with regard to individual queries relating to immigration/visa status. Immigration issues are particularly complex, hence it is appropriate that personnel with a deeper and more formal knowledge and understanding of this area are those that you should contact to discuss this.

We are afraid that this applies both to the information contained within this website and our email helpdesk. While we are keen to provide as much assistance and information to applicants as is possible, equally or possibly more important is ensuring we do not provide people with inaccurate or misleading information; unfortunately, as the issue of immigration is outside our remit, we cannot be confident that our understanding of this area is sufficient to guard against this.

Any information relating to immigration/visa issues contained within this website, our applicants' guide or provided by our helpdesk is that which has been provided to us by the Department of Health and the UK Borders Agency. As such, we would recommend that any candidates with queries relating to their visa or immigration status, and if/how this will affect their eligibility for ST3, should contact those bodies for further information. Their websites are:

DH (Medical Programme Board): http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/default.aspx

UKBA: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Some applicants may be considered before others on the basis of immigration status in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. If you are not a UK or EEA national, but your immigration status entitles you to work without restriction in the UK, you will be considered on an equal basis with UK and EEA nationals.

Those applicants currently applying under Tier 2 visas will be eligible to apply to ST3; however, please note that candidates with Tier 2 visas cannot be offered a post until all Tier 1 candidates have been offered posts.

If you undertook undergraduate medical training in English, you are not required to provide further evidence of your English skills. If you did not, then you will need to supply evidence of your English skills to support your application.

The most common method by which candidates can do this is via the IELTS - International English Language Testing System. The minimum IELTS requirement is for a candidate to achieve a score of 7 overall, and a minimum of 7 for each component (speaking, listening, reading and writing). Also, this must have been within 24 months of your application.

Applicants who did not undertake English undergraduate training and who do not possess valid IELTS qualification will need to provide other supporting evidence of their English skills.

In most cases, it is likely that a letter from a supervisor attesting to your language skills will be suitable - although we would advise verifying this with any particular deaneries to which you wish to apply. The following information should be included in this letter:

• Name and position of the person confirming English language skills (preferably your current or most recent supervising consultant), i.e. the author of the letter
• How long the author has known the applicant, and in what capacity
• Confirmation of satisfactory English language skills in all domains (reading, writing, comprehending, speaking)
• This must be written on the employer's headed notepaper (ie hospital / Trust-headed paper), and signed by the employer

Please note that communication will also be assessed at the interview stage.

Also - please be aware that passing PLAB I or II is NOT considered a satisfactory alternative to IELTS.

For a candidate to be eligible for ST3 clearing, they must have received a full assessment during the main recruitment round - ie had their application form assessed for eligibility, short-listed and then assessed at interview.

The candidate's overall application must have been assessed to be eligible and suitable within the specialty to which they have applied, and their performance at interview must have been sufficient for them to be marked as appointable.

Lastly - any candidates who have accepted a post with an RCP-hosted specialty are not included in clearing.

The RCP-SRO has already identified all such candidates and has contacted them to request their preferences.