New UK policy on overseas doctors: International medical graduates invest {pound}7500 in getting first job

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7548.1033-a

BMJ 2006;332:1033 (29 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7548.1033-a

Letter

New UK policy on overseas doctors

International medical graduates invest £7500 in getting first job

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The following is the approximate investment eachoverseas doctor has to put in before applying for jobs in theUnited Kingdom:

IELTS (language exam): £150 PLAB1 (medical exam): £145PLAB2 (medical exam): £430 Provisional GMC registration:£100 GMC limited registration: £290. As each ofthese doctors has to purchase a return ticket to their homecountry (around £500), spends £300 a month on subsistence,spends another £100 a month on job applications, takesone year to get the first job, and additionally has to pay avisa fee of about £400, add another £5700. Moreover,visas are only extended for the period of clinical attachment(1-3 months) and the candidate has to apply again. This amountsto a total of at least £7500 that an international medicalgraduate would have to spend before securing his or her firstjob in the United Kingdom. Multiplying this by the presumed. . . [Full text of this article]