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GMC Registration & PLAB

How do I register with the GMC?

The GMC is committed to ensuring they approve doctors of the highest calibre and therefore ask all doctors entering the UK to take a PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) test to show you have the skills and knowledge necessary to practise in the UK.

Emergency Medicine doctors can also sit the MCEM exam (to become a Member of the Emergency College of Medicine) or MRCP (Member of the Royal College of Physicians). Although not essential, membership of these colleges will help your chances of landing a job.

In order to work as a doctor in the UK, you must meet the GMC’s acceptable medical qualifications which you can find:

GMC Acceptable Medical Qualifications

You’ll need to register with the GMC if you want to:

  • work as a doctor in the National Health Service (NHS) or in private practice
  • prescribe drugs, the sale of which is restricted by law
  • sign certificates required for statutory purposes (death certificates, etc).

 

Doctors who hold a licence to practise are required to renew their licence regularly. This applies to all doctors working in the NHS and private sector and is to assure the GMC that doctors have up-to-date knowledge and experience.

Different types of GMC registration

The GMC offer different types of registration for doctors:

  • Newly qualified doctors can apply for a provisional registration with a licence to practise before undertaking their Foundation Year 1 (F1) post. 
  • Unsupervised fully trained doctors can apply for a full registration with a licence to practise. 
  • Doctors must be on the specialist register to hold a consultant post in the UK and the General Practice register to work as a GP (this excludes GP trainees).

PLAB

You’ll also need to hold the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board qualification. If you don’t hold PLAB you can also hold MCEM (Membership of the College of Emergency Medicine), MRCP (Membership of the Royal College of Physicians) , MRCS (Membership of the Royal college of Surgeons) or any of the following:
CountryAwarding Body
AmericaAmerican Board of Pediatrics (ABP)Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics – General Pediatrics
American Board of AnaesthesiologyCertificate of the American Board of Anaesthesiology
AustraliaRoyal Australasian College of PhysiciansPassed the written and clinical exams for FRACP (Paediatrics)
The specialist training programme leading to the award of this qualification is six years long. After basic training
lasting three years candidates sit written and clinical examinations.
Doctors then undertake a further three years training – Fellowship is only awarded after successful completion of this training. If the doctor has passed both the written and clinical examinations or obtained their Fellowship within the last three years, this is acceptable evidence of a postgraduate qualification.
Australia/New ZealandAustralian and New Zealand College of AnaesthetistsFellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
BangladeshBangladesh College of Physicians and SurgeonsFellowship in Anaesthesia or Anaesthesiology awarded since July 1999
EuropeEuropean Academy of Anaesthesiology or European Society of AnaesthesiologyEuropean Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Hong KongHong Kong College of PhysiciansMembership of the Hong Kong College of Physicians
IrelandRoyal College of Surgeons in IrelandMRCS (collegiate) examination
MRCSI (intercollegiate) examination
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Fellowship of the Faculty or the College of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
MRCP Medicine (Medicine of Childhood)
BangladeshBangladesh College of Physicians and SurgeonsFellowship in Anaesthesia or Anaesthesiology awarded since July 1999
PakistanCollege of Physicians and Surgeons PakistanFCPS Paediatrics Pakistan
Fellowship in Anaesthesiology awarded since 1998
SingaporeNational University of SingaporeMaster of Medicine (Anaesthesia)
Master of Medicine (Paediatrics)
Master of Medicine (Internal Medicine)
South AfricaCollege of Anaesthetists of South AfricaFellowship of the College of Anaesthetists of South Africa
Sri LankaUniversity of Colombo, Sri LankaDoctor of Medicine (Anaesthesiology)
MD (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
MD Paediatrics Sri Lanka
West AfricaWest African College of PhysiciansFellowship of the West African College of Physicians (Paediatrics)
West IndiesUniversity of West IndiesDoctor of Medicine (Anaesthesia) awarded since September 2003

We pay £1000 for any DOCTORS referred to us.