Each person specification states that to progress to a higher specialty training post an applicant must have gained sufficient experience by the time of the advertised post start date for that round; you do not need to have the full experience requirement at time of application, as long as you are in a position to gain it by the deadline.
The factors affecting the requirement is whether the specialty is a Group 1 or Group 2 specialty and whether it accepts trainees from a non-medicine training background, information about which can be found on the 'Non-physicianly pathways' tab. Please note that all experience excludes foundation level training, which should be completed in addition to core-level training.
Experience will be demonstrated by completing the application form and giving a full post medical qualifcation history, indicating the duartion, level and specialty of each post; there is no need to submit a CV. If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted so as to be certain the experience requirement can be met.
Group 1 specialties
Group 1 specialties only accept trainees from a medicine background who have completed the full IMT programme or equivalent experience; totalling 36 months in medical specialties (of which at least 12 months include the care of acute medical in-patients) . The ways in which you can meet the experience requirement include:
- Completion of the full UK Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training (usually three years)
- Completion of the full UK ACCS Internal Medicine programme (usually four years)
- UK Broad Based Training (medicine route and leading to completion of the full IM Stage 1 programme)
- A standalone UK IMY3 programme (following completion of UK core medical trainingtraining/ACCS (acute medicine))
- JRCPTB internationally level 3 accredited equivalent Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training programme
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Have at least 36 months’ experience in medical specialties (of which at least 18 months must include the care of acute medical in-patients). Further information about this can be found below.
Group 2 specialties
Group 2 specialties vary in which training pathways they accept, however, all accept medicine as a minimum. You are advised to check the person specification to see the requirements for the specialty in which you are interested; the information below relates just to those entering from a medicine training pathway who have:
- Completed a UK Core Medical Training or UK ACCS (Acute Medicine) programme
- Completed the first two years of UK Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training or the first three years of UK ACCS (Internal Medicine)
- Completed the first three years of UK Broad Based Training (medicine route)
- Completed a JRCPTB internationally level 3 accredited equivalent CMT programme or the first two years of an Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training programme
- On your application: complete the experience page in full, and declare that you meet the experience requirements for the specialty If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted so as to be certain the experience requirement can be met. At least 24 months’ experience in medical specialties (of which at least 12 months must include the care of acute medical in-patients).
Experience gained outside of UK training
Whether you are applying for a Group 1 or Group 2 specialty, the rules for counting experience gained outside of UK training are the same.
- Experience must be gained in one or more of the medical specialties as listed on the JRCPTB website.
- Please note that the care of acute medical in-patients encompasses the assessment, diagnosis and management (both immediate and subsequent) of adults presenting to secondary care with acute medical problems. These range from young fit individuals with a severe acute illness to the frail elderly with multiple disorders. It is not possible to be prescriptive about which medical specialties do and do not count towards this as it will depend on the specific requirements of each post.
- Experience gained in medicine anywhere in the world is counted.
- All experience in a foundation training programme or at foundation-level, cannot be counted towards the experience requirement. This can be a little more complicated for applicants with experience from outside the UK. Candidates will be asked to indicate the UK equivalent level of each post held, bearing in mind factors such as length of time since qualification and the responsibilities of the post. Regions will assess the medical specialty experience of candidates by reviewing the experience section of their application form. If it is uncertain whether or not you meet this requirement, you may be asked to supply additional information after submitting your application.
Medical rotations in other specialty training programmes
As well as the listed specialties you can also count time spent in rotations of other specialties. So for example, if a trainee had gained six months' experience in hospital medicine but this was as part of a rotation in a general practice training programme, these six months could still be counted towards the 24 months requirement.
Full-time equivalent
All time periods referred to within the person specifications and this website are 'full-time equivalent'. So the time counted is the actual time spent working/training in medical posts, and not necessarily the time employed.
For example, were a trainee to be employed in a post for 10 months, but was working on a less-than-full-time basis of 0.6 (ie 60%), then only 60% of this time would count towards the experience figure. So in this example, this would equate to six months.
Limits on experience in ACCS based specialties
Time spent in certain specialties/programmes does not count fully towards the 24/36 months' experience requirement, as these often contain a mixture of medical and non-medical experience.
To aid candidates in estimating how much of their time these programmes should count towards their experience figure, we have produced the table below:
| Specialty | Maximum time that should be counted toward the experience requirement |
| 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/IMT programme, in which case 100% of time) |
| anaesthetics (including any done as part of ACCS) | none |
Candidates applying from 'non-physicianly' training routes
There are a number of specialties participating in the PHST recruitment process which allow applications from trainees whose training to date may not have been wholly within 'physicianly' medicine,
These are allergy, audiovestibular medicine, clinical genetics, clinical neurophysiology, dermatology, haematology, immunology, medical ophthalmology, rehabilitation medicine and sport & exercise medicine.
Due to this allowance of alternative training backgrounds, the experience required of applicants to these specialties is different to the main requirements described in this section of the website.
Please view the relevant person specification for information on the specific requirements.
Providing information of 'alternative' experience
The method by which information on your experience is provided when applying to any of these specialties is exactly the same as for any of the other specialties, that is to complete the experience page in full, and declare that you meet the experience requirements for the specialty.
If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted to be certain the experience requirement can be met.
Experience gained in medicine anywhere in the world is counted.
Equivalence of overseas training
Consideration of overseas training can be a little more complicated due to working out what is 'equivalent' to experience above foundation level.
Regions will assess the medical specialty experience of candidates by reviewing the experience section of their application form.
Candidates will be asked to indicate the UK equivalent level of each post held, bearing in mind factors such as length of time since qualification and the responsibilities of the post.
If it is uncertain whether or not you meet this requirement, you may be asked to supply additional information after submitting your application.
The person specification states: If you have previously resigned, or been removed from a training programme in any specialty, you must obtain a Support for Reapplication to Specialty Training form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School and Postgraduate Dean from the region you previously undertook training in. This must be submitted with your application.
This means that if you started any training programme and exited prematurely, your application can only be considered if accompanied by a completed form. From 2025 recruitment, the form will state the recruitment year to which it relates. You must ensure you are using the correct form for the recruitment year; forms used in previous recruitment years will not be accepted.
If you need a form, you are advised to contact your training region as early as possible to ensure it is ready to submit with your application.
Providing information
On your application you will be asked to declare if you have resigned or been removed from a training programme. Those answering yes will be directed to attach their form and you cannot submit your application without attaching the form.
If I applied in a previous round, but withdrew my application / rejected a post offer, does that count as resigning?
No. You would only be considered to have resigned if you had physically begun working in the post, before leaving it at a later stage.
If you applied in a previous round and then withdrew your application for any reason, even after accepting a post (as long as your withdrawal came before you actually started working in the post), this would not be classed as resigning.
If I left one programme but then joined another, do I need to supply a form?
No. If you left one programme and are either currently training in another programme, or subsequently successfully completed another, you do not need a form. For example, you would not need a form if you:
- left a general practice programme and are training in IMT at the time of application
- left an emergency medicine programme, then successfully completed IMT prior to applying to higher specialty training.
Incomplete core training programmes
If you did not successfully complete your core training programme, e.g. received an ARCP outcome 6 after year three of IMT, this qualifies and you would need to supply a support form. The only exception is if you exited your core training programme due to not completing the MRCP(UK), and this was the only reason you were released. You will attach a copy of your ARCP outcome to your application in the capabilities section so recruiters can see that this was the case.
Situations where a support form is required include:
- You exited IMT after two years, including if you were awarded an outcome 1 on your IMY2 ARCP.
- You exited IMY3 with an outcome 3 or 4 with requirements other than the MRCP(UK) outstanding.
The person specification states: If you are currently in training and applying to continue training in the same specialty in another region, you must obtain a Support for Application to another region form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School of your current Specialty Training Programme. This must confirm satisfactory progress and be submitted with your application.
This means that if at time of application you hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the same specialty training programme, your application can only be considered if accompanied by a completed form. This includes changing area within your current region but does not include those currently undertaking a LAT programme in the specialty.
You cannot use forms submitted for previous rounds as it should be signed reasonably close to when you are applying to ensure ongoing satisfactory progress. If you need a form, please ensure you advise your current Training Programme Director as soon as possible. Submission and approval of post numbers for recruitment happens way in advance of training programmes being advertised. Being aware of a potential vacancy could assist your Training Programme Director with the management of their training programme. Early communication of intention to the Training Programme Director will not affect your application.
Providing information
On your application you will asked to declare if you currently training in the specialty of application. Those answering yes will be directed to attach their form and you cannot submit your application without it. The form must have the original signature of the person completing the form and so a scan or photo of this is required.
All higher specialty training applicants must be able to meet the further requirements stated on the person specifications:
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ability to provide a complete employment history - if it is not clear whether you have provided a full employment history, you may be contacted and asked to supply additional information; candidates not providing any employment history on their application form will be rejected.
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evidence that career progression is consistent with personal circumstances - this requirement, and the one below, will be reviewed at interview as part of the interview
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evidence that present achievement and performance is commensurate with totality of period of training
- not already hold, or be eligible to hold a CCT/CESR, and must not currently be eligible for the specialist register for the specialty to which they are applying.
In the event a candidate already holds a CCT in general internal medicine (GIM), they would still be eligible to apply for a specialty post which dual accredits in GIM. However, they would be expected to fulfil the GIM service requirements of any such post, as well as those of the 'parent' specialty; and the programme length cannot be reduced as a result.
Applying for LAT posts
Applicants wishing to be considered for Locum Appointment for Training posts (where available) must have no more than 24 months' experience in LAT posts by intended start date.
Only LAT experience within the specialty you are applying to will be counted; any experience in other specialties' LATs is ignored. Those in this position can be considered for substantive programmes but not for any LAT posts.