I will post the PM response I got from babypsychdoc who is a physician practicing in the UK and is married to an American who came over. It sounds like it'll be a tough road but being married to a Brit will probably help a lot. Hope it helps.
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I am an American, raised for a time in the UK, that is going into psychiatry and about to start residency in the US this summer.
I have long been interested in returning to the UK and was wondering what information you might be able to offer.
I provide some info in response to your questions below. However, please be aware that starting next year anyone from outside the EU will be barred from applying for UK training posts. The whole immigration system is being overhauled, too - more information below. Do you want to stay here long term or just experience England for a few years? You may get a work permit or come as a Highly Skilled Migrant for a few years, but if you want to stay here, you have to go through a very onerous process
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-u...or-citizenship
My American husband rebelled against the idea of being an indentured servant of the UK government. I do not blame him.
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Questions I have:
Do American grads have to redo residency like we make you do or just take an exam?
The post-graduate medical training system in the UK is in the state of flux at present. It used to be the case that you could practice as an attending psychiatrist in the UK (ie, consultant) if you were fully trained and board certified in psychiatry in the US. Now they are changing the rules, and it is not very clear whether this is going to continue. Check Royal College of Psychiatrists website periodically, as they are pretty good about updating information there.
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/po...asdoctors.aspx
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Are foreign physicians sought after/welcome?
They used to be, though it is changing. In late 1990s and early 2000s there was a huge shortage of doctors in the UK, so they were "importing" doctors from the subcontinent in large numbers. However, several new medical schools have been established by the UK government during the last ten years, and they started graduating their students last year or so. now they are bitching that having foreign doctors in the UK prevents british doctors from getting jobs, and wastes £250K of taxpayers money that were spent on putting each student through medical school. Healthy competition is encouraged less and less. Let's employ less competent Brits over more competent Indians. This will make taxpayers happy.
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Is it ridiculous to leave US salaries for UK salaries?
Mmmm... I do not know. As an attending, you are bound to make more money in the US. As a resident, I am paid a very good salary compared to my American counterparts. An attending in the UK starts with roughly 60K per year, before taxes. This goes up with time, and also you can get performance-based bonuses. It would be unusual for a psychiatrist to make more than maximum of 100K per year doing NHS work only.
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How possible would an academic position at a university be given my path of child psychiatry?
In general, it is more difficult to find an academic position in the UK than it is in the US. I know a brit with a green card who did part of his training in the US and part - in the UK. He then did a research fellowship in Cambridge, but failed to get an academic appointment in the UK afterwards. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor (tenure track) in one of the better (not Ivy League, though) universities in the US. There are fewer universities in the UK, and many are quite incestuous, which is the main cause of difficulty imho. It is not impossible, though: I managed to secure an academic fellowship in number 2 UK university, after getting an MSc from number 1 UK university
🙂. But, that MSc was instrumental in the process. I do not know if I could stay and get a tenure-track position. Do not be disheartened, though, as the british universities can and do fall for American-trained academics: so, if you have a good medical school and a good residency and a few publications under your belt, you may have a good chance. you might also consider establishing your academic career in the US, and then coming to the UK; there are loopholes in the immigration law (and licensing law) that would make it easier for you.
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How do your colleagues view Private vs. NHS practices?
You have to put a minimum of 40 hrs per week into NHS before you can do any private practice work. I know several Consultants in Psychotherapy that do this kind of thing; they work as general adult psychiatrists on the NHS, and do private psychotherapy work. I do not have any practical experience in child psych, I am afraid, but the impression I have got from my colleagues is that scope for private practice in child psych is limited.
