ICM Posts for IMGs

IMGs are appointed to ICM posts that are not part of formal UK training leading to the award of a certificate of completion of training (CCT).

All ICM posts require General Medical Council (GMC) registration and a current licence to practise.These posts will provide opportunity for professional development, completion of fellowship exams and to further develop clinical, management and leadership skills. There are also some opportunities to get into a formal UK training programme or apply for Equivalence/Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) to work as a consultant in ICM.

Sponsorship Schemes

Several organisations, Royal Colleges and universities in the UK have developed sponsorship programmes for IMG doctors. These posts are for a fixed duration, which the GMC have pre-approved. The sponsor will then issue the IMG with a Certificate of Sponsorship that they will need for their GMC application. Please see below for links and more information on these programmes:

Medical Training Initiative (MTI) scheme

MTI is one of the sponsorship schemes where the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) acts as the ‘professional sponsor’ through the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) that provides the overarching visa sponsorship.

MTI is a national scheme designed to allow a limited number of doctors to enter the UK from overseas to benefit from opportunities to work within the NHS, before returning to their home countries. It applies only to doctors who have qualified outside the UK or European Union, who want to come to the UK for a limited period of specialised training in Intensive Care Medicine.

The RCoA manages the MTI scheme for Anaesthetics, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine through their Global Partnerships Office. More information and eligibility criteria can be found here.

MTI posts are ideal for IMGs looking for a 2-year ICM experience in the UK, to complete ICM fellowship exams, enhance clinical skills and also develop leadership & management skills that can be used to improve patient care and further develop the specialty in their home country.

IMGs appointed on MTI and sponsorships schemes will be treated similar to UK graduates with respect to training opportunities and development of non-clinical skills. They are also eligible for RCoA/FICM membership and access to the ICM e-portfolio/lifelong learning platform.

Specialty doctors/Clinical Fellow posts

IMGs with a career interest in Intensive Care Medicine along with previous ICM experience and a background in Acute Medicine, Anaesthesia or Emergency Medicine are suitable for these posts after possessing full GMC registration by:

Some postgraduate qualifications from outside the UK are accepted by the GMC as evidence that the IMGs have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to apply for full registration with a licence to practise. The accepted approved postgraduate qualification list can be found here.

Once IMGs have assessed their eligibility and identified the best route for getting GMC registration, they need to look for jobs matching their individual requirements on job advert sites:

IMGs looking for MTI posts can contact the RCoA’s MTI global partnership team at Global@rcoa.ac.uk to confirm their eligibility for these posts and submit CVs that could be passed to hospitals looking for MTI candidates. Individual hospitals will then interview the suitable candidates.

The RCOA and FICM do not get involved in any part of the recruitment process.