Eligibility
2012 CT1 entry requirements
The first stage of assessing a candidate's CT1 application will be to verify it for eligibility - ie to check it against the essential eligibility requirements laid down in the relevant person specification, to ensure the candidate meets all eligibility criteria. The rules governing which candidates are eligible for CT1 are very stringent and applied rigorously.
As such, we advise all candidates to ensure that they are eligible to apply to CT1 - and if necessary, to obtain and prepare any documentation necessary to demonstrate this - before they begin their application.
Please note:
We refer to candidates 'applying to CT1' here; this is simply a shorthand for 'applying to CT1 posts in core medical training (CMT) and/or acute care common stem-medicine (ACCS-AM)'.
In addition, when referring to people applying for, or being appointed to, 'CT1 posts', this is again for ease. The programmes to which candidates will be appointed via the CT1 recruitment process will be full courses - ie the full three-year programme for ACCS-AM posts, or the full two-year programme for CMT.
Single-year, 'stand-alone' CT1-level posts (which do not see trainees progressing automatically into the CT2 year upon completion) are not included in the recruitment process.
‹ The 2012 person specifications ›
A candidate's eligibility is judged by assessing whether or not they meet each and all of the essential criteria as laid out within the 2012 CT1 person specifications for ACCS-AM and CMT, which are available to view/download from the DH medical specialty training website.
In each instance, it will be necessary for candidates to demonstrate that they meet each criterion. In most cases, this will involve giving some information on the application form, and then showing some documentation/proof of this information at interview (should they progress to that stage).
Detailed below is some information on each of the essential eligibility criteria, how they are assessed, and how candidates can demonstrate they meet them. Click on any of the below headings to see more information.
NB - To see information specifically regarding the provision of documentation at interview, please see the interviews page of this website.
‹ MBBS or equivalent medical qualification ›
Candidates must be qualified to practise medicine, and therefore must have qualified from medical school.
Application: select / provide the name of your medical school
Interview: provide original documentation showing medical qualification - eg MBBS certificate
‹ Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment and hold a current licence to practise ›
Any doctor wishing to practise medicine in the UK must be registered with the GMC; in addition, the GMC must have provided them with an up-to-date licence to practise medicine, a condition they introduced in autumn 2009.
Candidates should be aware that it is only necessary for them to have become registered & licensed by the time of appointment, ie August 2012. However, all candidates must at least be able to demonstrate, at time of application, that they are eligible for both GMC registration and to obtain a licence to practise.
For more information on registering, licensing, and establishing GMC eligibility, please visit the GMC website at www.gmc-uk.org and/or email their helpdesk at gmc@gmc-uk.org.
Application: either give details of registration and licensing, or provide details of your eligibility for these if you do not yet possess them
Interview: provide documentation giving details of your GMC registration/licensing
‹ Evidence of achievement of foundation competences ›
In the UK, the period of training directly preceding CT1 is foundation training. Upon completion of foundation, trainees are required to have obtained the skills and experience necessary to begin CT1 training. Skills and experience gained in medical training are referred to as 'competences', and thus those gained in foundation training are 'foundation competences'.
Before candidates can progress to CT1, they must demonstrate that they have either completed UK/UK-affiliated foundation training; or that they have at least obtained the necessary competences to show that they are trained to an equivalent standard, in line with GMC Good Medical Practice.
Prospective CT1 applicants can be divided into four main groups, depending on experience, background, status, etc. The evidence that they will be required (and able) to provide will differ depending on which of these 'groups' they are currently in - as below:
‹ 1. Candidates currently on a UK (or UK-affiliated) foundation training programme ›
Candidates who apply to CT1 while still undertaking foundation training will not be able to fully demonstrate their achievement of foundation competences, as they will not have fully completed foundation training at time of application/interview.
Therefore, any CT1 offer later made to these candidates will be subject to their successful completion of foundation training, and their being awarded an FACD 5.2 - attesting to their successful completion of foundation training - before August 2012, ie before the start date of any CMT or ACCS-AM post they are to take up.
Please note that this also applies to any candidates undertaking a stand-alone or headroom FY2 programme - provided it is within a UK/UKFPO-affiliated foundation school see the foundation programme website for more information.
If you are a candidate in this category, the information you will need to provide is as below:
Application: give the name of your foundation school
Interview: none
‹ 2. Candidates who have already completed a UK/UK-affiliated foundation training programme ›
In many cases, candidates will complete foundation training before applying to CT1 - eg where candidates have taken time out of medical training, spent time working overseas, begun training in different specialties, etc.
Demonstrating eligibility is fairly straightforward here - all candidates need do is provide the FACD 5.2 awarded to them at the completion of foundation training.
If you are a candidate in this group, you need to demonstrate foundation competences by the below methods:
Application: confirm attainment of FACD 5.2 within time specific; provide deanery with scanned copy of certificate (either attached to application form, or emailed separately)
Interview: provide original version of FACD 5.2 document
[NB - it is a DH stipulation that candidates can only be eligible to begin specialty training (ST1, CT1) within three years of achieving foundation competence, so that their skills are kept as up to date as is possible. Therefore, the FACD 5.2 above must have been awarded after 31 July 2009 to be acceptable.]
‹ 3. Candidates not in the above categories ›
Where candidates do not have the above documentation, either through not being able to access it, or through not falling into either category, alternative certificates can be used to demonstrate eligibility - these are referred to as 'Certificate A' and 'Certificate B'.
Certificates A & B
Each of these is basically a list of the foundation competences which candidates are required to have gained prior to entering CT1. To complete the relevant form, candidates must give one of the certificates to a clinician who has supervised them for at least three months since August 2009.
Which certificate - A or B?
It is only necessary for a candidate to complete one of the two certificates, not both. If the three months under the clinician completing the certificate was spent in post(s) with acute medical responsibilities, Certificate A should be completed; if not, Certificate B should be used. See the downloads section of this website for a list of which specialties fall into which category.
Completing the document
The clinician then needs to go through the document and tick each of the competences that s/he knows the candidate is 'able to demonstrate'. By doing so, the clinician is attesting to the candidate's achievement of all foundation competences, and thus their readiness to progress to CT1.
Note that the three months under a supervisor do not necessarily have to have been continuous - provided that the total amount of time a candidate has been supervised by the clinician in question is equal to three months, it does not matter how many 'bits' this time was in.
Using Certificate A/B
Any candidate applying to CT1 can use certificate A/B to demonstrate their achievement of foundation competences; but we would particularly advise that if any candidates do not have options 1 or 2 (above) open to them, they should use Certificate A/B if at all possible.
Certificate A and B are both available to download from the downloads section of this website.
Once this documentation has been obtained and completed, it should be used as below:
Application: provide deanery with electronic copy of certificate
Interview: original, 'hard' copy of the certificate to be provided
‹ 4. Refugee doctors ›
Where possible all candidates should provide one of the forms of evidence listed above. However, it is recognised that some doctors who are also refugees may have less access to standardised documentation, and in some cases may not be able to have either of the above alternative certificates completed, as it is more difficult to liaise with a past supervisor.
Any candidates in this situation should contact their local postgraduate deanery for further advice on their application - email and website addresses for all deaneries can be found on the contacts page of this website.
Where possible, deaneries will be able to provide assistance for bona fide refugee doctors in obtaining an alternative certificate.
Please note that in most cases, this does not apply to doctors who are classed as seeking asylum; as in many cases asylum seekers will not be eligible to work.
Please note that the staff in our recruitment office here are not able to give advice relating to immigration issues, and thus candidates keen to gain more information on this are advised to contact the UK Borders Agency - the website for whom is http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/.
‹ FAO candidates applying to CT1 from other specialties ›
Where a candidate is employed currently in a specialty training post, the recruitment process for which involved the candidate's UK foundation competences being assessed prior to post start date, then this assessment of foundation competences will still stand for the 2012 CT1 recruitment process.
What this means is, if a candidate has applied to a specialty, has their foundation competences assessed as satisfactory, and then after taking up the post decides to apply to CT1, it will not be necessary for their foundation competences to be assessed again - the original assessment of the competences can still be accepted.
So for example, a candidate applies to general practice in 2010, completes the first year of GP training, but then wishes to apply to CMT instead. As their achievement of foundation competences was assessed during the process of recruitment to GP in 2010, and found to be satisfactory, it would not be necessary for this to be done again while applying to CMT 2012.
If you are in this position, select the relevant option on the application form; please also contact your first-choice deanery/UoA preference to make them aware of this, thus explaining why you will not need to provide evidence here.
In all instances, where it is possible to give evidence of achievement of foundation competencies at time of application, candidates must provide deaneries/UoAs with this documentation before the application submission deadline - 1.00pm (UK time) on Tuesday 13 December 2011. It is strongly recommended that any evidence is uploaded to your application to ensure this is received on time.
‹ Eligibility to work in the UK ›
All candidates wishing to take up a UK CT1 post must prove that they are eligible to work here. There are differing methods by which this can be done, depending on candidate immigration/visa status, as shown below:
‹ 1. UK/EEA nationals ›
The majority of candidates who are UK/EEA nationals will need no special dispensation from the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) to work in the UK.
However, this is not the case in all instances - Bulgarian & Romanian citizens do not share exactly the same UK immigration status as other EEA nationals. Please visit the UKBA website, and see point 2 below, for more information on this.
Otherwise, other EEA nationals will be required to give evidence as below:
Application: select relevant options under 'Right to work in UK' section, give National Insurance number if you have one
Interview: show passport (and where applicable, any naturalisation papers)
‹ 2. Non-UK/EEA nationals who can work without restriction ›
Doctors who are not UK or EEA nationals, but whose immigration status entitles them to work without restriction in the UK, will be considered on an equal basis with UK and EEA nationals.
Candidates in this position who meet the necessary criteria will be eligible to apply in round 1 of CT1 recruitment, and their employment is not subject to the resident labour market test.
Application: select relevant options under 'Right to work in UK' section, give NI number if you have one
Interview: show passport and any immigration/visa documentation as necessary
‹ 3. Non-UK/EEA nationals with restrictions on working in the UK ›
Candidates whose employment will be subject to restrictions, may not be eligible to apply for specialty training, or may require a Certificate of Sponsorship and be subject to the resident labour market test (RLMT). The RLMT dictates that these candidates cannot be offered a post until the test has been satisfied, ie until the UKBA is satisfied that no suitable domestic candidate remains who could take the post.
With regard to CT1 recruitment, the RLMT cannot be satisfied after round 1 of recruitment and candidates in this category will have their application rejected. Therefore, candidates with this status should wait and then apply in round 2, when the RLMT can be satisfied.
More information on immigration categories and their right to work status is available on the UKBA and DH medical specialty training office websites.
ALL information relating to immigration and visa status that we provide here and in our applicants' guide is that which we have been given by the UK Borders Agency and Department of Health. The staff in our office here are NOT able to give advice relating to queries on immigration and CANNOT give advice to candidates on whether their specific immigration status makes them eligible, how they can change their status, how to apply for different types of visa, etc.
For any and all queries relating to immigration, please visit the websites of the UKBA - www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk - and DH medical specialty training office - www.mmc.nhs.uk- for more information, and to contact those bodies as necessary.
‹ No previous departure from CMT/ACCS-AM training programme ›
The 2012 person specifications state that a candidate must not have previously relinquished, released or been removed from a core medical training/acute care common stem training programme, except under exceptional circumstances. Examples of this may include ARCP outcome 4 or failure to progress after two or more failed RITA Es.
In light of this, applications of this status will only be considered if accompanied by a letter of support from the postgraduate dean or designated deputy of the deanery/UoA in which they worked. Should the postgraduate dean not support the application, appeal may be made to the SRO recruitment lead, whose decision will be final.
‹ Fitness to practise ›
You will be required to declare any criminal convictions or issues in relation to your fitness to practise. This will be assessed from your application, at interview, via your references and will be checked prior to you taking up any employment offered.
‹ Language skills ›
As stated in the person specification: 'All candidates must have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues'.
Where candidates have undertaken undergraduate medical training in English, no further evidence is required.
If undergraduate training was carried out in a different language, candidates need to provide some alternative evidence of their language skills.
The primary method is the IELTS - International English Language Testing System. To meet the minimum standard via IELTS, a candidate must have achieved the following scores in one single sitting within 24 months of application (ie since November 2010): overall 7; speaking 7; listening 7; reading 7; writing 7.
Wherever documentation is required, candidates should submit an electronic copy of the document alongside their application, as well as taking the original document to any interview.
Application: select relevant options under 'English language proficiency' section, and give details as appropriate
Interview: provide appropriate evidence - eg passport, IELTS certificate, etc.
‹ Health ›
Candidates must meet professional health requirements in line with GMC standards - Good Medical Practice can be viewed at this link (click here).
Application: declare understanding that employment will be subject to satisfactory medical clearance, and of awareness of GMC guidelines on fitness to practise
Interview: none
‹ Career progression ›
All candidates will need to provide a complete employment history, showing that their career progression is consistent with their personal circumstances and that their present achievement and performance is commensurate with the length of time they have spent in training.
This can all be added to the application form, which will then be reviewed by deanery recruitment staff as necessary.
One particular aspect of the career progression section - that of 'Experience' - has been given its own focus below, as this has caused some confusion in the past.
‹ Maximum Experience ›
All candidates must have 18 months' or less experience in medical specialties - not including foundation modules - by August 2012.
To ensure that all candidates entering CT1 are at an appropriate level of training/career progression, the DH has imposed a maximum level of 18 months on the experience which potential CT1 trainees may have at the time they begin a CT1-level CMT/ACCS-AM post.
Please note that the CMT and ACCS-AM person specifications are exactly the same in regards to this requirements, so, regardless of whether you intend to pursue a CMT or ACCS-AM post, this experience requirement applies equally.
Any candidate exceeding the 18-months figure cannot be eligible for first-year CT1 posts, and should consider applying at CT2-level instead (CT1 person specifications can be viewed at the DH medical specialty training website.
This area of eligibility will be assessed on your application form.
‹ How do I assess how much, and which parts, of my experience counts towards the 18 months? ›
Firstly, it should be noted that 'medical specialties' is quite a broad term. Obviously, time in a CMT programme counts towards this figure, but also any experience of higher specialty training/work counts.
This is quite straightforward to define in the main - experience in CMT and/or any of the 30 specialties listed on the JRCPTB website counts towards this figure.
ACCS-based specialties
However, when considering experience in ACCS-based specialties, this becomes a little more nuanced, as ACCS programmes often include a mixture of medical and non-medical experience, and where some medical specialty competences are gained.
To aid candidates in estimating how much of their time in ACCS-based specialties should count towards their maximum experience figure, we have produced the table below:
| Specialty | Maximum time that should be counted toward the 18 months maximum |
| acute medicine (including any done as part of ACCS) | all |
| any other medical specialty listed on the JRCPTB website | all |
| emergency medicine (including any done as part of ACCS) - also known as A&E | 3 months |
| intensive treatment unit (ITU)/intensive care medicine (ICM) (including any done as part of ACCS) | 3 months (unless a rotation on a CMT programme, in which case 100% of time) |
| anaesthetics (including any done as part of ACCS) | none |
Example:
An ACCS trainee wishes to apply to CT1; the trainee has/will have done 24 months in the programme before the prospective CT1 post start date, broken down as follows: 6 months in acute medicine (AM), 6m anaesthetics (AN), 6m emergency medicine (EM), and 6m intensive care medicine (ICM).
The following time is counted towards the 18 month rule:
AM (all) = 6m
AN (none) = 0m
EM (3m max) = 3m
ICM (3m max) = 3m
This comes to 12 months overall, and therefore this trainee would be eligible for a CT1 post.
‹ Application completion ›
All sections of the application form must be completed in full.
