International/European Doctors
EU nationals with some
specialist training in another European member state can enter UK
training at any level and have their previous training counted for
the award of a CCT. However, they need to provide
confirmation of this from the competent authority of the relevant
European Country that this training meets the minimum requirements
of Directive 2005/36/EC. They will need to present this
evidence when attending interviews for posts above ST1 (Specialty
Training Year 1). This confirmation is then treated in the same way
as having training in a GMC approved training post.
Doctors who qualified as
specialists in countries other than EEA member states and meet the
required criteria may be eligible to enter the Specialist Register
by obtaining the Certificate of Eligibility for the Specialist
Register (CESR) the equivalence route.
Eligibility for a CCT
depends on completion of training which meets GMC requirements in
every respect. Under the current legislation, time spent in
career grade posts does not satisfy these legal requirements and
cannot be counted towards compliance with the standards and
requirements for a CCT. Therefore, doctors who have spent any
time in posts not approved for training purposes by the Board
cannot be awarded a CCT when they transfer to specialist training
at anywhere above ST1.
This means that doctors
who have moved between specialist career posts and training posts
cannot be awarded a CCT but, if they meet the required standards,
would be eligible for specialist registration through the CESR
route. The same situation applies to doctors who have
undertaken specialist training overseas, not prospectively approved
as part of a UK specialist training programme, who enter a
programme anywhere above ST1.
In contrast, doctors who
move from a fixed term specialist training post into a specialist
training programme at year 2 or above will be eligible for a CCT,
provided GMC has approved the fixed term posts which they have held
and their training is relevant to the CCT programme they enter.