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The PLAB Test & GMC Registration
In order to work as a Doctor in the UK you need to hold a GMC Registration & ‘License to Practice’. If you’re a Non EEA Medical Graduate who has not worked in the UK before you will also have to pass a PLAB test to prove that you have reached the minimum standards required to practice safely.
If you’re a Non EEA Doctor interested in working in the UK Commonwealth Contractors can help. We partner with OISC Registered Private Immigration Firms & Tier 2 Licensed Healthcare Consultancies prepared to sponsor Doctors on Tier 2 Visas (formerly Work Permits) where required.
To find out more call now on 0800 294 4388 or Submit your Details & we will get back to you.
GMC Registration & the ‘License to Practice’
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a UK regulatory body that ensures only properly qualified & registered Doctors are allowed to practice in the UK. By ensuring proper medical standards are in place the GMC helps to protect public health & safety.
In order to practise medicine on a full-time, part-time, locum, private, NHS, employed or self employed basis a Doctor requires a:
- Valid GMC Registration, AND
- A License to Practice (Introduced on the 16th November 2009)
Please note that it is the ‘License to Practice’ rather than the GMC Registration that gives a Doctor the legal right to practice medicine in the UK. If you hold a GMC Registration but not a License to Practice you will not be allowed to work in the UK.
Once licensed you will be ‘re-validated’ periodically to ensure that your skills are up to date and that you are fit to practice.
To apply for a ‘License to Practise’ you must attend an Identity Check, pay a License fee and provide certain documents to the GMC including:
- Proof of Identity (e.g. Passport)
- Primary Medical Qualification (should be listed on the Avicenna Database)
- Certificate of Good Standing
- Declaration of Fitness to Practice
- Reference Letters
- Official translations of any documents not in English
- Recent Passport sized photos
- Proof of English (i.e. IELTS Certificate)
The PLAB Test
The Professional & Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB) Test is a two part test aimed at ensuring that Non EEA medical graduates who intend to practice in the UK have reached the minimum standards required to practise safely. Once the test has been passed a Doctor may apply to the General Medical Council for a Registration & a ‘License to Practice’
The PLAB Test is set at a level expected of any end of Foundation Year 1 (FY1) Doctor. To apply you need:
- An acceptable Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ)
- An IELTS English Language Qualification at Level 7+:
- Speaking – 7
- Listening – 6
- Academic Reading – 6
- Academic Writing – 6
- At least 12 months Postgraduate Clinical Experience from a from a hospital approved by the Medical Registration Authorities in the appropriate country
PLAB Test – Part 1
Part 1 of the PLAB test is a computer examination consisting of 200 Extended Matching Questions (EMQs) & Single Best Answer Questions (SBA). On average the test takes 3 hours to complete & allows unlimited attempts. In order to sit the test you must either attend:
- A UK Testing Centre (4 sittings per year available), OR
- An International Testing Centre (2 sittings per year available). Locations include:
- Egypt
- India
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- The West Indies
To book a test please visit: www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/applications.asp. Please note that Part 1 of the PLAB test must be passed within 2 years of an IELTS (International English Language Testing Scheme) qualification being approved. Once Part 1 of the PLAB has been successfully completed the applicant may progress to Part 2.
PLAB Test – Part 2
Part 2 of the PLAB Test must be undertaken within 3 years of successfully completing Part 1. The Test is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) consisting of:
- 14 Clinical Scenarios (lasting five minutes each)
- A Rest Scenario
- 1 Pilot Scenario for statistical purposes
From 2010 onwards Part 2 of the PLAB test must be undertaken at the GMC Clinical Assessment Centre in Manchester. Tests are held based on demand. For more information on applying please see www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/applications.asp.
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