Eligibility
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The first stage of preparation for applying to ST3 should be to verify that you will be eligible to take up a post. The rules governing which candidates are eligible to progress to an ST3 specialty training post are very stringent, and will be applied rigorously.
Each candidate applying will be required to demonstrate that they meet all the necessary eligibility requirements for the post in question, as laid down in the relevant person specification.
Because of this, it is advisable to prepare any documentation required in advance of making an application; this webpage lays out the various eligibility criteria and gives detail on how you can demonstrate that you can meet them.
‹ 2012 ST3 person specifications ›
A candidate's eligibility for an ST3 specialty post is judged by whether or not they meet all of the essential criteria laid out in that specialty's person specification.
In each instance, it will be necessary for candidates to demonstrate that they meet each criterion. In most cases, this will involve giving some information on the application form, then - should they be invited - providing some documentation/proof of this information at interview.
As such, your first act when preparing an application to ST3 should be to view the relevant 2012 person specification. These can be found on the DH medical specialty training office website at this link.
‹ Post types ›
NTN & LAT posts
As noted, the ST3 process includes recruitment to both substantive national training number (NTN) posts and locum appointment for training (LAT) posts. NTN and LAT posts are subject to exactly the same eligibility criteria, so the eligibility requirements described here will apply in both cases.
LAS posts
Recruitment to locum appointment for service (LAS) do not need to follow the eligibility criteria laid down in the corresponding specialty person specification; the employing trust/deanery will set the necessary eligibility criteria for these.
However, LAS posts are not recruited to via the RCP-SRO ST3 recruitment process; for information on LAS posts, and potential LAS vacancies, please visit the websites of any deaneries to which you would be keen to apply - deanery website addresses can be found on the deanery/UoA contacts page of this website.
‹ FAQ dermatology candidates ›
The RCP-SRO has produced some guidance on applying to dermatology for those candidates from non-physicianly training routes (eg paediatrics).
The 2012 ST3 dermatology person specification is largely similar to those of other ST3 specialties, and so much of the information below on eligibility criteria will be applicable; but for particular areas, non-physicianly trainees should review this document for guidance on demonstrating their eligibility and suitability for ST3 dermatology posts.
This guide can be viewed/downloaded by clicking on the appropriate icon in the left-hand column of this page.
‹ FAO palliative medicine candidates ›
With the entry routes into palliative medicine being a little different to those of the other specialties, the SRO has produced some guidance for candidates who are considering applying to ST3 palliative medicine.
As can be seen from the palliative medicine person specification, the eligibility criteria are largely the same as for other SRO-hosted specialties, and so the general information below applies in most cases.
However, there are some differences which should be taken into account here; in particular, differences in the required competences, and important information for those applying to palliative medicine from non-physician training routes.
This guide can be viewed/downloaded by clicking on the appropriate icon in the left-hand column of this page.
‹ FAO rehabilitation medicine candidates ›
As with some other specialties, rehabilitation medicine also accepts applications from candidates whose previous training was outside the field of hospital medicine.
The 2012 ST3 rehabilitation medicine person specification is largely similar to those of other ST3 specialties, and so much of the information below on eligibility criteria will be applicable; but for particular areas, non-physicianly trainees should review this document for guidance on demonstrating their eligibility and suitability for ST3 dermatology posts.
This guide can be viewed/downloaded by clicking on the appropriate icon in the left-hand column of this page.
ST3 eligibility criteria
As can be seen from the person specifications above, there are a number of essential entry criteria which are common to all specialties - these are examined in greater detail below. To be eligible for consideration for an ST3 post, all candidates must meet the conditions described below. Click on each item to reveal further information.
NB - where appropriate, we have added guidance on how to add information to the application form and provide evidence/documentation at interview to show that you meet each eligibility criterion.
‹ MBBS or equivalent medical qualification ›
First of all, you must show that you are qualified to practise medicine, and therefore that you have qualified from medical school.
Application: select / provide the name of your medical school
Interview: provide original documentation showing medical qualification - eg MBBS certificate
‹ MRCP(UK) requirements ›
In 2011, a requirement was brought in for all candidates to have gained the full MRCP (UK) diploma - or to have passed an equivalent postgraduate examination - to be eligible for ST3-level UK medical posts. This requirement has remained in place, in the same format, for 2012.
NB - candidates need only have gained the MRCP(UK)/equivalent qualification by the time of post start date. Please see below for more information on each, but in short you can apply without having passed the examination, provided that you can show recruiters/interviewers that you are on course to pass before the post start date.
It is likely that many candidates applying to UK ST3 posts will be on course to pass MRCP(UK) (or to have passed it already), and will be using this to meet this criterion; but a number of candidates may have a qualification which they feel falls under the '...or equivalent' heading that they would wish to use instead.
Please see below for further information on the MRCP(UK) and the alternative 'routes' here.
‹ MRCP(UK) ›
Part 1
If not using an alternative/equivalent examination, you must have MRCP(UK) Part 1 at the time of application to be eligible to apply. Any applications received without this will be rejected as ineligible.
Part 2 & PACES
Candidates must have gained the full MRCP(UK) diploma before the date on which a prospective ST3 post will begin; ie all three parts of the examination must have been sat and passed by the time of post start date.
Some candidates who are taking the Part 2 and PACES examinations during 2012 will be able to progress through the application/recruitment process provided they have gained Part 1 at time of application (see above).
This means that candidates will be able to progress through application, long-listing, short-listing, interview, and even potentially to the point of being made an offer, before having passed the full MRCP(UK).
Any offer made to a candidate in this situation, who is awaiting the outcome of MRCP (UK) examinations, will of course be conditional upon their gaining of the full MRCP(UK) diploma. Should they fail to gain the full MRCP(UK), their application would be rejected as ineligible.
At the application stage, if you have not passed the full MRCP(UK) you will need to demonstrate that it is possible for you to do so before the post start date - ie that you have made arrangements to sit examinations for any missing parts prior to the post start date.
Application: select which parts of the examination you have passed to date, and any you will be taking later in the year
Interview: provide certification of passed examinations, evidence of places booked on any upcoming examinations
‹ Alternative UK examinations ›
In instances where specialties may be inviting applications from non-physician training routes, the 2012 person specifications have stated explicitly examinations which will be regarded as equivalent to the MRCP(UK).
Dermatology & haematology
In recruitment to these specialties, the MRCPCH examination can be used as a direct equivalent to MRCP(UK) - that is, all deaneries recruiting to posts in these specialties will accept the MRCPCH in place of MRCP(UK).
As with MRCP(UK), MRCPCH Part 1 A/B must be gained by time of application if this qualification is to be used; and the full diploma must be attained prior to moving to a post.
Palliative medicine
As touched on further up this page, there are a number of common training entry pathways into the specialty of palliative medicine; as a result, a number of postgraduate examinations are acceptable as full equivalents for MRCP(UK).
The FRCA, MRCGP (with CCT), MRCS and FRCS qualifications can all be used in place of MRCP(UK).
Again, in all cases the standard approach is that the first part of the examination/diploma should be gained by the time of application to the specialty, where applicable; and the full diploma must be gained before commencement of post.
Rehabilitation medicine
In rehabilitation medicine, the MRCGP, MRCPsych, MRCS and FRCS qualifications can all be used in place of MRCP(UK).
The first part of the examination/diploma should be gained by the time of application to the specialty, where applicable; and the full diploma must be gained before commencement of post.
Application: select which parts of the examination you have passed to date, and any you will be taking later in the year
Interview: provide certification of passed examinations, evidence of places booked on any upcoming examinations
‹ Other - 'equivalent' - examinations ›
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:
- MRCP(Ireland)
- MHKCP (Hong Kong)
- MMed Singapore.
'The only examinations that should be treated as equivalent to MRCP(UK) for ST3 recruitment purposes (in 2012 only) are:
'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.'
Update - as of 28 March, further information has been made available, stating that a European (EEA) CCT in general internal medicine can also be considered equivalent.
‹ GMC registration & licensing ›
Any doctor wishing to practise medicine in the UK must be registered with the GMC; and in addition, the GMC must have provided them with an up-to-date licence to practise medicine.
Please note that it is only necessary for you to have gained full GMC registration & licensing by the time of appointment to an ST3 post (in most cases in round 1, this will be August 2012). However, any candidate without GMC registration & licensing must be able to at least state that they will be eligible for both GMC registration and to obtain a licence to practise.
For more information on registering, licensing and establishing GMC eligibility, please visit the GMC website at www.gmc-uk.org and/or email their queries helpdesk at gmc@gmc-uk.org.
Application: either give details of registration and licensing, or provide of your current status if you do not yet possess them
Interview: provide documentation giving details of your GMC registration/licensing
‹ Evidence of achievement of foundation competences ›
Within coordinated ST3 recruitment in 2012, if you can provide evidence of CT/ST-level competences (which you must do to demonstrate that you are eligible), it will be taken as read that you have also achieved competence at foundation level.
Application: name of foundation school
Interview: none
‹ Evidence of achievement of CT1/ST1 and CT2/ST2 competences ›
The core competencies required for progression to ST3-level training are listed in the GIM curriculum, which can be accessed via the JRCPTB website. To be eligible, you must have achieved, and be able to prove achievement of, all of these competences; the method by which you can do that will depend on which of the categories below you come under:
‹ 1- You are currently undertaking pre-ST3 UK medical training ›
CMT
If you are currently on the second year of a GMC-approved two-year CMT programme, to demonstrate eligibility you must have a satisfactory CT1-level ARCP that you can show at interview; plus you must be on track to gain a satisfactory CT2-level ARCP (plus possibly also a CMT certificate issued by JRCPTB).
Beyond this, you need take no action to show achievement of core competences - obviously, until you have had the opportunity to complete CMT, you could not be expected to have achieved all competences. Any ST3 post offer made to you will thus be dependent upon your successful completion of CMT.
Application: give details of current training status (CT1 completed, CT2 progressing well)
Interview: CT1-level ARCP document
ACCS
If you are on the second/third year of an ACCS programme, you must show that your training progress to date has been satisfactory; and also that you are on track to gain a satisfactory ARCP, which (at time of ST3 post start date) will show you have achieved the equivalent of CMT CT2 competences.
Candidates on a three-year ACCS programme are permitted to leave after two years, provided that they have gained sufficient competences. However, leaving before two years is not possible (see career progression/experience, below).
Application: give details of current training status
Interview: evidence of training progress to date
‹ 2- You have already taken, and completed satisfactorily, pre-ST3 UK medical training (post-2007) ›
CMT
If you have completed CMT in the past, you must have a satisfactory ARCP outcome at CT2-level, and possibly also a CMT certificate issued by JRCPTB (if a certificate has been issued to you).
Application: give training details, attach electronic version of satisfactory CT2-level training (ARCP, JRCPTB certificate if applicable)
Interview: provide original version of above documentation
ACCS
If you have previously completed ACCS training, you will be required to give evidence of this at both the application and interview stages.
Application: give training details, attach electronic version of satisfactory completion of ACCS training
Interview: provide original version of above documentation
‹ 3- You have undertaken a pre-2007, RCP-approved SHO training programme ›
If your training was taken prior to 2007, when PMETB/GMC-approved CMT programmes were introduced, and this was on an RCP-approved SHO training programme, you will be required to show evidence of your satisfactory general professional training. This will be in the form of a satisfactory RITA (record of in-training assessment) or an educational/clinical supervisor's report.
Application: give training details and attach satisfactory RITA/supervisor’s report
Interview: provide original version of above documentation
‹ 4- Candidates not in the above categories ›
If you have previously undertaken SHO- or CMT-level training - which may have been in either training or non-training posts, in the UK or elsewhere - but do not have evidence of training completion in the above forms, then you should consider the options below with regard to proving your competence:
Certificate C
This document is essentially a list of CMT-level competences, as defined in the 2009 G(I)M curriculum.
To use this document as evidence of your achievement of CMT-level competences, you must give this to a clinician who has supervised your clinical work for a minimum of three months (whole-time equivalent - ie this does not have to have been a single three-month block), and request that they complete it on your behalf.
This clinician will need to go through the document and tick each of the competences that s/he knows that you are able to demonstrate. By doing so, they are attesting to your achievement of all core competences, and thus your readiness to progress to ST3-level training.
For this to be valid, all competences must be checked off. Also, you can only use this document if you have spent a minimum of 24 months in training posts, post-qualification (foundation training does not count towards this figure).
Certificate C is available for download now from the documents page of this website.
Application: attach electronic copy of certificate
Interview: provide original, ‘hard’ copy of certificate
Other documentation
It is possible to use alternative documentation, such as log books, appraisals, reflective practice assessments, etc. to demonstrate your achievement of CMT competence.
However, it will be at the discretion of recruiters to accept your claims to have CMT-equivalent competence based on these documents, whereas use of certificate C will be more widely accepted - thus we would advise using certificate C in this situation.
Application: attach electronic copies of above documentation
Interview: provide original, ‘hard’ copies of documentation
‹ 5- Refugee doctors ›
Where possible all candidates should provide one of the forms of evidence listed above. However, it is recognised that some doctors who are also refugees may have less access to standardised documentation, and in some cases may not be able to have either of the above alternative certificates completed as it is more difficult to liaise with a past supervisor.
Any candidates in this situation should contact their local Postgraduate Deanery for further advice on their application – email and website addresses for all deaneries can be found on the deanery/UoA contacts page of our website.
Where possible, deaneries/UoAs will be able to provide assistance for bona fide refugee doctors in obtaining an alternative certificate.
Please note that in most cases, this does not apply to doctors who are classed as seeking asylum; as in many cases asylum seekers will not be eligible to work.
Please note that the staff in our recruitment office here are not able to give advice relating to immigration issues, and thus candidates keen to gain more information on this are advised to contact the UK Borders Agency - the website for whom is http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/.
‹ Eligibility to work in the UK ›
Obviously, all candidates wishing to take up a UK ST3 post must prove that they are eligible to work here. There are differing methods by which this can be done, depending on candidate immigration/visa status, as shown below:
‹ 1. UK/EEA Nationals ›
The majority of candidates who are UK/EEA nationals will need no special dispensation from the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) to work in the UK.
However, this is not the case in all instances - Bulgarian & Romanian citizens do not share exactly the same UK immigration status as other EEA nationals. Please visit the UKBA website at this link, and view point 2 below, for more information on this.
Otherwise, other EEA nationals will be required to give evidence as below:
Application: Select relevant options under 'Right to work in the UK' section, give National Insurance number if you have one
Interview: show passport (and where applicable, any naturalisation papers)
‹ 2. Non-UK/EEA Nationals who can work without restriction ›
Doctors who are not UK or EEA nationals, but whose immigration status entitles them to work without restriction in the UK, will be considered on an equal basis with UK and EEA nationals.
In December 2009, the DH stated that non-UK or non-EEA nationals who are classed as UK graduates - ie those who have graduated from UK medical schools and who are currently undertaking foundation training - are eligible to apply for a Tier 1 post-study work visa.
Candidates in this position who meet the necessary criteria will be eligible to apply in this round of recruitment, and need not be subject to the Resident Labour Market Test.
Application: Select relevant options under 'Right to work in the UK' section, give NI number if you have one
Interview: show passport and any immigration/visa documentation as necessary
‹ 3. Non-UK/EEA Nationals with limited leave to remain in the UK ›
Candidates whose employment will require Tier 2 sponsorship are subject to the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT). These candidates cannot be offered a post until the RLMT has been satisfied, ie until the UKBA is satisfied that no suitable domestic candidate remains who could take the post.
In the case of ST3 recruitment, the RLMT can be satisfied in the first recruitment round. However, candidates in this category will not receive offers until offers have been made to suitable domestic candidates of an equivalent standard.
ALL information relating to immigration and visa status that we provide here and in our applicants guide is that which we have been given by the UK Borders Agency and Department of Health.
The staff in our office here are NOT able to give advice relating to queries on immigration and CANNOT give advice to candidates on whether their specific immigration status makes them eligible, how they can change their status, how to apply for different types of visa, etc.
For any and all queries relating to immigration, please visit the websites of the UKBA - www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk- and MEPT - www.mmc.nhs.uk- for more information, and contact those bodies as necessary.
‹ Fitness to practise ›
You will be required to declare any criminal convictions or issues in relation to your fitness to practise. This will be assessed from your application, at interview, via your references and will be checked prior to you taking up any employment offered.
‹ Language Skills ›
As stated in the person specifications:
'all candidates must have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues'.
If your undergraduate medical training was taken in English, no further evidence will be required, barring stating this on your application form.
If your undergraduate training was carried out in a different language, you will need to provide some alternative evidence of your language skills.
IELTS
The primary method of doing this is the IELTS - International English Language Testing System. To meet the minimum standard via IELTS, you must have achieved the following scores in one single sitting, within the 24 months prior to application (ie since March 2010): Overall 7, speaking 7, listening 7, reading 7, writing 7.
Alternative
If you have not sat IELTS - or if your IELTS scores were gained before March 2010 - please contact any deanery/ies to which you wish to apply to discuss an appropriate method by which you can demonstrate your English language skills.
A common method is to provide a letter from a supervisor attesting to your English skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening; but this is not a formal method of confirming this, so please do contact the relevant deanery/ies as necessary - see our deanery/UoA contacts page.
Should documentation be required, you should submit an electronic copy of the document alongside your application, as well as taking the original document to any interview you attend.
‹ Health ›
You must meet professional health requirements in line with GMC standards - Good Medical Practice can be viewed here.
‹ Career Progression (and Experience) ›
You will need to provide a complete employment history, showing that your career progression is consistent with personal circumstances and that your present achievement and performance is commensurate with the length of time you have spent in training.
This can all be added to the application form, which will then be reviewed by deanery recruitment staff as necessary.
One particular aspect of the career progression section - that of 'Experience' - has been given its own focus below, as this has caused some confusion in the past.
‹ Experience ›
To ensure that all candidates entering ST3 are at an appropriate level of training/career progression, the DH has imposed a minimum level of 24 months on the experience which potential ST3 trainees must have at the time of starting an ST3 post.
Thus, to be eligible for an ST3 post, you must be able to show that you have at least 24 months' experience of training/working in medicine or an ACCS programme (or equivalent) by the time of post start date.
Experience in medicine means experience in CMT, ACCS or any of the 30 higher specialty posts listed on the JRCPTB website.
Time spent in foundation training does not count towards this 24 months figure.
This area of eligibility will be assessed on your application form.
‹ Application Completion ›
All sections of the application form must be completed in full.
