IELTS and Foreign Doctors in the UK

Medical professionals are one profession that has a high number of demands overseas. Filipino medical professionals are seriously taking into consideration the opportunity of practicing their professions outside the country. It is not a secret to anyone that working abroad has a better pay and much clearer career advancement. Hence, more and more medical professionals, specifically doctors, have been planning to find an opportunity abroad – in the United Kingdom.

 

 

Though the idea of working abroad for these doctors is very promising, the competition and the requirements are very strict that doctors should meet. If you are a doctor wishing to practice your profession in the UK, the first thing that they should undergo is training under GMC or the General Medical Council. It applies to all levels of registration, whether provisional, full or on the specialist or general practitioner (GP) register. The conditions that allow the GMC to grant full registration are governed by law under The Medical Art 1983. Doctors should have primary medical qualification and is expected to have completed (overseas) appropriate experience or internship of at least 12 months equivalent to Foundation Year 1.

The first thing doctors need to do is to check with the GMC whether their primary medical qualification make them eligible to apply for registration. Then, doctors will have to provide objective evidence that they have the knowledge and skills needed for working as a doctor in the UK.

Aside from the work experience and educational background requirements in UK, an English language proficiency examination is also required. Doctors need to show their expertise in the English language by taking the IELTS test or the International English Language Testing System exam.

The IELTS examination can be taken here in the Philippines. It is a paper-based test consisting of four sections – speaking, listening, reading, and writing – that help gauge the doctor’s fluency in using the language.

Doctors need to take the Academic module of the IELTS. Candidates must obtain an overall score of 7.0 with minimum scores of 7.0 in the speaking, listening and writing. The IELTS certification is valid for two years. If the candidate fails to reach the score requirement, he or she can take the IELTS exam again until he or she is able to get the score requirement in one sitting.

Doctors should not be complacent in taking the IELTS examination. The best thing to do here is to acquire training and coaching from IELTS review centers in the Philippines. It is the most important part in preparing for the real IELTS examination.