Consultant/Hospital Specialist - UK
Working as a Consultant/Hospital Specialist Locum in the UK
In order to be eligible to work as a Consultant/Hospital Specialist Locum in the UK, you need to register with the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC is the governing body who evaluate and register doctors to practice medicine in the UK - www.gmc-uk.org.
How to you go about registering with the GMC?
The requirements are different for each route to registration. You can find detailed guidance on how to make your application, specific to your route to registration on the GMC website by clicking here.
There are four types of registration when applying to the GMC: Provisional registration, Full registration, Specialist registration, and GP registration. To work as a Consultant/Hospital Specialist you will need to apply to the specialist register.
Specialist registration
The GMC maintains a specialist register. Since 1 January 1997, it has been a legal requirement that, in order to take up a consultant post (other than a locum consultant appointment) in a medical or surgical specialty in the NHS a doctor must be included in the specialist register.
The only exceptions are doctors who held a consultant post (other than a locum consultant post) in oral and Maxillo-facial surgery in the NHS immediately before 1 January 1997.
It is not possible to hold specialist registration without also holding full registration.
How long does it take?
The length of time it takes to process your application by the GMC depends on the type of registration you apply for and where you received your medical qualifications. Please see below for the section that matches your specific criteria.
- If your primary medical qualification (PMQ) is from a university in the United Kingdom (UK), the appropriate registration form can be downloaded here and should be submitted directly to the GMC with all the required supporting documentation
- If your primary medical qualification (PMQ) is from a university in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, the appropriate registration form can be downloaded here and should be submitted directly to the GMC with all the required supporting documentation
- If your primary medical qualification (PMQ) is from a university in a country outside of the UK, EEA or Switzerland, the appropriate registration form can be downloaded here and should be submitted directly to the GMC with all the required supporting documentation
- If you graduated in Australia / New Zealand / Hong Kong / Singapore / South Africa / West Indies and you hold/have held provisional registration with the GMC since before 19 October 2007, the appropriate registration form can be downloaded here and should be submitted directly to the GMC with all the required supporting documentation
- If you graduated from the University of Malaya on or before 31 December 1989 and you hold/have held provisional registration with the GMC since before 19 October 2007, the appropriate registration form can be downloaded here and should be submitted directly to the GMC with all the required supporting documentation
Do I need to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board Test (PLAB)?
You may need to pass the PLAB test before you can apply for registration with the GMC. To find out if you are required to, please click here to view the GMC website for more information.
Fees
An annual fee is payable for registration with the GMC. For more information on fees, please visit the GMC website here.
How to go about working with us
If you are interested in finding out more information about working in the UK and want to register with Locumotion, please feel free to complete the online application form.
Current opportunities available
For details of positions that we are currently seeking to fill, please click here. These positions are updated regularly, however if you cannot see anything that matches your requirements, please contact us directly here with your specific requests.
