Experience | IMT Recruitment - Full, comprehensive guidance on applying to IMT posts in UK ACCS-AM and CMT training programmes

Am I eligible?

Experience

The 'eligibility' section of the IMT person specifications states that candidates must either be employed currently in a UKFPO approved foundation programme; or have a minimum of 12 months' experience after full GMC registration or equivalent in line with GMC standards / Good Medical Practice.

The experience must be gained by the advertised post start so it is possible to apply on the basis that you will have gained the experience by that time. This means that by August 2024, candidates must have at least 24 months experience working as doctor to be eligible (12 months pre-registration and 12 months post-registration).

Current UK foundation trainees

If you are applying to IMT while currently on the second year (FY2) of a UK/UKFPO-affiliated foundation training programme, you should be on track to have the minimum experience by the start date of posts.

Other applicants

If you are not currently employed in UK foundation training, you will be required to demonstrate you have gained, or are able to gain, the minimum of 24 months' experience prior to the intended IMT start date.

Main points to note:

Any country - experience worldwide can count towards the 24 months.
Any 'specialty' - experience in all specialties/programmes counts (provided this is postgraduate working/training), irrespective of whether this is a training programme (eg foundation in the UK), medical specialty, general practice, psychiatry, etc.
GMC registration - as part of your 24 months, you must have at least 12 months' experience after eligibility for full GMC registration. Candidates who qualified outside the UK can take this to mean 12 months' experience after their eligibility for full registration with their equivalent of the GMC; you do not necessarily have to have worked for 12 months after full GMC registration in the UK.
Pre-registration year as part of medical degree - unlike the UK, in some countries the pre-registration year takes place prior to graduation from medical school. In this case, this year would normally count as the first 12 months, after which you become fully registered with the equivalent of the GMC in that country, and so another 12 months experience after this is required.

You must not have previously relinquished, been released or removed from an ACCS-IM or IMT programme (or core medical training, which was the predecessor of IMT), except under exceptional circumstances.

Should you be in this position, your application can only be considered if accompanied by a completed Support for Re-application to a Specialty Training Programme form - completed by the postgraduate dean, or designated deputy, of the region managing the training programme on which you were employed.

This can be downloaded from the document library.

Providing information

You can provide information within and alongside your application as below:

On your application: the first question on the application relates to this; upon answering 'yes', you will be advised to send the completed form after submitting your application; you will need to send this prior to the closing date for applications to the PSRO; see the who do I contact? page for details.

If I applied in a previous round, but withdrew my application / rejected a post offer, does that count as a previous departure?

No. You would only be considered to have departed a post 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 relinquishing a post.

Trainees currently working in a IMT/ACCS-IM training programme (or core medical training, which was the predecessor of IMT) who are applying to continue their training in another region without a break in service will be required to submit a Support for Reapplication of Specialty Training in a Different Region form; which can be downloaded from the document library.

This form must be submitted at time of application by all applicants currently holding a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in a specialty training programme to which they are re-applying in open competition with the intention of changing region.

The form must be completed by a Head of School or Training Programme Director, with direct knowledge of your training from the region where you currently undertake training in this specialty.

Please ensure you advise your current Training Programme Director as soon as possible and ideally before the application is submitted. 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

You can provide information within and alongside your application as below:

On your application: answer the relevant question on the 'Personal' section of the application form; upon answering 'yes', you will be advised to send the completed form after submitting your application. You will need to send this prior to the closing date to the PSRO; see the who do I contact? page for details of where to send this.

In addition to demonstrating you have the experience requirements, there are three related requirements to your career stated on the person specifications:

ability to provide a complete employment history; candidates not providing any employment history on their application form will be rejected.
evidence that career progression is consistent with personal circumstances
evidence that present achievement and performance is commensurate with totality of period of training.

Information on these can be provided as follows:

On your application: complete in full the employment section of the form.