So Ive been looking into opportunities to do post-graduate studies in the UK recently and heres what I found out:
· First, if we have done medical school outside of the EU, we would have to pre-register with the General Medical Council, this is done by taking clinical skills test (PLAB) and perhaps English language tests (
http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/plab.asp).
· We would then obtain a tier 4 visa and do 2 years of Foundation Programme, this is equivalent to the internship in Ireland. Unlike in Ireland, all eligible applicants are considered equally regardless of their country of citizenship or the country in which they studied (
http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/medical-students/faqs).
· After Foundation Programme, foreign students would switch to a Tier1 visa for highly skilled workers and finish off their residency/post-grad, again competing equally for positions with british students and british citizens.
.This is what I have gathered from calling the British agencies and doing some online research. If I misunderstood something or am not providing a complete picture please let me know. Ill also stress that everyone I have spoken to says that the accessibility to foundation, residency positions, and visas for foreigners is constantly changing and is likely to be different in a couple of years. The other thing I was not able to find out is whether foreign doctors that have completed training (ie residency/post-grad) in the UK are able to remain and work in the UK via the Tier1 or applying for permanent residency, or whether these doctors are required to return to their respective countries after their training..
