Grades of Doctors

There are following grades of doctors in the UK.

 

1. Foundation Year 1 Doctors

They only include training and non-training FY1s.

 

2. Senior House Officers

They can also be known as Junior Clinical Fellows. They include the following (training and non-training) doctors:

  • FY 2
  • CT/ST 1
  • CT/ST 2

 

3. Middle-Grade Doctors (Junior Registrars)

They can also be known as Registrars, Specialty Registrars (SpR), Clinical Fellows or Senior Clinical Fellows. They include the following (training and non-training) doctors:

  • ST3
  • ST4
  • ST5
  • ST6
  • ST7
  • ST8

 

4. Senior Doctors

They include:

  • Consultants
  • General Practitioners

37 thoughts on “Grades of Doctors

  1. How long does it take to become a consultant in a surgical branch for an IMG?What is the duration of core and speciality training?

  2. After FY2, can you leave the country and go work in another country or do masters in another country? Will UK recognize it especially if it’s from countries like China, Russia, Ukraine?

    1. You can always do what you like. But going to the UK, completing FY2 and then again leaving the UK does not make a lot of sense.

      I do not know about the UK accepting Masters from other countries.

  3. How long does it take to become a
    1. Consultant Gastroenterologist
    2. Consultant Haematologist after doing PLAB 2..

  4. after completing mrcp with MD postgraduation in india which grade we will be ? how will it take to be a consultant?

  5. In continuation of your reply, for a post-MD doctor from India, are they required to complete PLAB in order to get Full-GMC registrations? Because I know that a Full-GMC registration is required for applying for ST3 jobs in the UK. So how does one go about this?

    NB: The doctor in question has completed a 3 year PG course, MD Pathology after successful completion of 4.5 year MBBS course with 1 year internship from India in this regard.

    Can you please guide, Dr. Naseer….

  6. hi naseer great website, thanks so much for the info.

    I was 3.5 years into my FCPS and then got married. I have now come to the uk on spouse visa. I’m prepping for ielts and then plab 1. can you please tell me after I complete plab 2, would I be considered for a training job as FY1, FY2, ST1 etc – I’m not sure. I completed mbbs house job in 2012 and since then was training as postgraduate fcps in general surgery

    1. Itā€™ll be your choice to start as a non-training CT1 (SHO) or non-training ST3 (Registrar).

      But it might just be better to start as an SHO.

  7. oh I see thanks so much for your kind reply. usually to get to ct1 do you need to do fy1 and fy2 if you don’t have experience after house job in Pakistan?

      1. thank you. I guess what I’m trying to ask is will my 3.5 years experience fcps as general surgery count for anything or not?

      2. It depends on how you define ā€œcountā€. Your experience definitely would give you more confidence. But your training duration in the UK wouldnā€™t be reduced because of this.

  8. sorry to bother you again naseer. in addition to the above, I want to pursue the route of an orthopaedic surgeon. Can you please tell me if A) after plab 2 would I still start at CT1 and; B) where would I find a training job for CT1?

    1. A) If I’m not wrong, Ophthalmology has a run-through route. Do check the official sources. In this case, you wouldn’t go through CT.

      B) I’m not sure what you mean by this question.

  9. Hello. What is the difference between ct1 and st1? Can I go straight to ct1 or st1 after doing plab or do I need to do fy1 and fy2? I have complete my house job after mbbs in Pakistan. Would really appreciate any info u can provide please thank u

    1. 1. There is no difference.
      2. You will start as a non-trainee in either.

      Please check all of my posts about training in the UK. They will help, because I can see that you’re not familiar with the training structure and the entry for IMGs in the UK’s training system.

  10. What are the chances of getting obstetrics and gynaecology after finishing f2 ?!

  11. What are the chances of getting into the obstetrics and gynaecology training after finishing f2 ?!

  12. Hi, thanks for your great efford.
    I am a pathology consultant from Turkey, with 15 years experience as a specialtist and 20 years experience as a doctor in total. Now I live in the uk with a spouse visa. If I pass the required exams and get registered by GMC what will be the degree of non-training jobs I can get in pathology? How can I shift to traning positions to be consultant eventually?
    Thank you very much.

    1. You will probably start as a senior registrar. You can shift to training posts by applying for ST3 training posts. All the best! šŸ™‚

  13. after being a consultant, can he do private practice with his regular job?
    what about psychiatry training that means;
    duration, accessibility rate and demans.

    thanx in advance

  14. Sir I have 2 questions :
    1. Is it mandatory to pass mrcp exam in order to get addmission in speciality training courses like MD or ms in India even after passing plab

    2. Are there any job opportunities after passing only mrcp 1

  15. Hello sir,
    I’m on tier 2 dependent visa and want to practice as a doctor after my PLAB. But my visa says that I cant do training as a doctor. So, can I simply apply for non training jobs and go ahead or do I need to apply for some another visa? Thanks in advance!

    1. You can work as a non-training doctor on your dependent visa. All the best! šŸ™‚

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