Simultaneous recruitment for ICM and its partner specialties
FICM and ICMNRO are delighted to announce a major change to ICM Specialty Training (ST) applications. From the 2024/2025 application window onwards, you will now be able to apply for ICM ST at the same time as applying for specialty training in any of its GMC-approved partner specialties. A list of the GMC-approved partner specialties for dual and triple ICM CCT programmes can be found here.
Why are we doing this?
From the time of the GMC approval of ICM training as a standalone CCT, there have been challenges in applying to its partner specialties – applicants have only been able to accept one training programme at a time, leading to hard decisions about which programme to take on first.
Discussions between FICM, ICMNRO and the Medical & Dental Recruitment and Selection Programme subgroups have led to this change – you can now apply to and accept offers for both ICM and the relevant partner specialty during the same application round. We hope that this helps those wishing to train in the Dual or Triple ICM CCT programmes.
Will this change the application process?
Applications will continue to be made through the Oriel system and offers will be issued in the same way as normal. From this window onwards, you will be able to accept two offers at the same time. The most important proviso is as follows – the two offers at the time of acceptance must be in the same region – this is non-negotiable.
The process of preferences and upgrades will still apply as in previous years. In the event of offers and ranking producing two offers in geographically separate areas (even if they are neighbouring regions) you would still need to choose one programme over another. This is a stipulation of COPMeD and has been a non-negotiable component of dual CCTs since 2012.
Interviews will still occur on separate dates due to differing schedules, and ICM will still only recruit for Specialty Training once per year. If, after the upgrade deadline, you have accepted two posts which are in separate regions, then one of the posts will have to be declined.
FAQs
Starting from the 2024/2025 application window, you can now apply for Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) Specialty Training at the same time as applying for one of its GMC-approved partner specialties for either dual or triple ICM CCT training. This allows applicants to accept both an ICM offer and an offer from a partner specialty in the same year, enabling doctors to start dual/triple training concurrently if successful.
The application process remains the same as in previous years. Applicants can view available vacancies on the Oriel system and submit applications for both ICM and any of its GMC-approved partner specialties for Dual or Triple CCT training.
Acute Internal Medicine, Renal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine have General Internal Medicine incorporated into their curricula and are Dual CCT Programmes by default, therefore applicants would only need to apply for an ICM post and either an Acute Internal, Renal or Respiratory Medicine post to apply for the Triple CCT Programme. You do not have to apply for 3 posts.
Applicants will receive offers through Oriel for ICM and their partner specialty (if they have applied for dual/triple CCT training). If you have been successful at interview and are offered posts in both specialties in the same region, you can accept both offers simultaneously through the standard Oriel process.
Yes, applicants can accept two offers in this process if the offers are from ICM and one of its partner specialties. However, to be eligible to undertake one of the GMC-approved dual/triple ICM CCT training programmes, both offers must be based in the same geographical region. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure this.
If you accept offers in different regions, you will be contacted by the ICM National Recruitment Office (ICMNRO) and required to choose one programme and withdraw from the other.
Yes, you can hold offers from both ICM and one of its partner specialties up to the hold deadline. However, if the offers remain in different regions after the upgrade deadline, you must decline one of the programmes.
Yes, applicants have until the upgrade deadline to try securing an upgrade that would place both offers in the same region. If, by the deadline, the offers are still in different regions, you will need to withdraw from one of the programmes.
No, interviews for ICM and its partner specialties will still be held on separate dates due to varying schedules. ICM will still only recruit for Specialty Training once per year.
Do you have a question not dealt with here?
If so, please contact ICMNRO for further details