Start your NHS career the right way!
Have you ever questioned your readiness to work as a junior doctor in the NHS?
We found that more than 80% of overseas-trained doctors felt their overseas medical training did not prepare them for a career in the NHS. Overseas-trained doctors are a vital asset to the NHS and will continue to play a pivotal role as the NHS resets and recovers from the pandemic. Our mission is to provide high-quality, meaningful and accessible clinical training and employment opportunities to overseas doctors who want to start their careers in the NHS.
Our NHS Induction Programme is designed by overseas doctors who have successfully integrated into the NHS system. We provide a safe and supported route to the NHS, easing you into your first role as an NHS junior doctor. Our programme consists of a “hands-on” NHS Induction period, followed by an initial six months of supported employment at FY1 or FY2 level. You will be able to practice essential clinical skills, emergency procedures, attend weekly teaching, and be assigned an NHS consultant mentor by LinkMedics, who will guide you through the programme. We mapped our programme against the final year curriculum of UK medical schools and required competencies as part of the UK Foundation Programme, Health Education England, and the General Medical Council.
LinkMedics gives you a fully immersive life experience as a junior doctor in the NHS, with unparalleled support and guidance to ensure progression to CREST sign-off.
Foundations
Orientation
Teaching
well-being
Career
Develop strong foundations
Our tutors ensure you meet a standardised baseline of clinical skills and knowledge expected for your role. Our programme helps you practice and refine essential practical clinical skills before you arrive in the hospital and ensures you have the necessary level of support to independently manage patients once you are working for real.
We also incorporate live patient contact and in-hospital experience to ensure you have a more realistic view of the expectations and working practices in the NHS. We take our time and ensure you have solid foundations and longevity in your career.
Understanding NHS clinical practice
During our programme, you will spend time in an NHS clinical setting. By being exposed to the hospital environment and learning to engage with wider teams before beginning work for real, you are much better prepared to encounter difficult situations in daily clinical practice.
You will understand how the NHS operates, your clear roles and responsibilities and how to engage in complex scenarios professionally and efficiently. You will learn about safe prescribing, governance, portfolio management, GMC revalidation and appraisals and ethical practice in the NHS.
Have tailored support
Teaching on the programme starts before you step foot in the hospital! We start with the basics and work our way to more complex critical care scenarios and hands-on practical skills training. We ensure you are fully prepared to work at the level expected of you in your job role.
Whilst working, you can attend Trust junior doctor teaching, join elective teaching and complete additional courses and accreditations. If you are interested in a particular speciality or aspect of medicine (or outside of medicine), let our team know, and we can signpost you to a plethora of resources and mentors!
Pastoral Care
During the programme, you are assigned a LinkMedics mentor, who is a practising NHS consultant. You are also given a “peer mentor”, an overseas-trained doctor who has been through the process and can share their unbiased, personal experiences.
You are also assigned a clinical and educational supervisor in Trust (often the same person) who can support your progression whilst you are working. By working collaboratively with your NHS Trust, LinkMedics design a personalised development plan that outlines your progress through the programme.
Your NHS roadmap
There’s a plethora of information out there that sometimes needs to be clarified. During our programme, we set the record straight and give you a clear structure for fulfilling your foundation competencies through CREST and progressing your NHS career.
During your initial mentor meeting, we will outline your goals, expectations and ambitions to develop a personal development plan specific to you. We always have speciality training in mind and will guide you through this process. We work with mentors from various specialities, from general practice, acute medicine to surgery and can help you make a more informed decision.
Safety & Support
Throughout the programme, you are assigned a clinical and educational supervisor, who will be a senior doctor working in your department, and a consultant mentor from LinkMedics. We work collaboratively to ensure you have the necessary level of support, supervision and pastoral care during the programme.
During induction, you will be provided with an ID badge that should be visible and worn at all times, which will help distinguish you from employed medical staff. During your induction period, you must never take it upon yourself to give medical advice or treatments without your mentor’s explicit consent and supervision. Once you pass this phase and begin to work for real, you will be expected to operate to the full capacity of an NHS junior doctor.
Appropriate personal protective equipment, such as glasses, gloves and protective footwear, is provided when required. If you are in a surgical speciality, you will be provided with sterile scrubs to change into when needed, and you shouldn’t wear them outside of the hospital due to infection control.
Eligibility & Fees
Our eligibility is put into place to protect you, your patients and our programme partners. To participate in our NHS Induction Programme you must have completed your medical training at a European university, have the Right To Work in the UK and be registered with the GMC. You must also pass our programme interview to secure your place; further requirements will be disclosed during your application.
If your application is successful, our dedicated team will support you through the registration process, which includes collecting the following:
- Evidence of your GMC license to practise
- Overseas police checks
- Occupational Health clearance
- Online statutory and mandatory training
- Reference checks (download here)
- CV
If you have completed your medical training, we recommend you start collecting your references, as this can speed up your registration process.
There is no cost to participate in the programme. We do charge a small non-refundable administrative fee of ÂĢ25, which solely helps our team process your application, documents and interviews, and helps us to keep the rest of the programme free.
Develop team skills
Ward skills, SBAR, broad-rounds and escalation protocols
Networking
Engage with the wider multi-disciplinary team
Gain a wider insight
Unfiltered view of working in the NHS, trust policies & guidelines
Career progression to FY2
Step into an supported FY2 position with confidence
Quality assurance
An accredited programme with GMC and HEE regulation
Clinical competencies
Maintain a portfolio and become a competitive candidate
We are not a recruitment agency. We get it. We understand.
We designed our programme through our collective experiences of qualifying as doctors overseas and overcoming the difficulty of transitioning into the NHS. This helps us understand the specific support you require as we have been through the process ourselves.
We work collaboratively with several NHS, commercial and academic partners in the UK and beyond to achieve our shared goal. Our programme gives you a unique opportunity to demonstrate your clinical abilities in various clinical settings to support CREST sign-off.
We support you with:
- Hassle-free paperwork and registration
- Essential hands-on practical clinical skills training
- Acute emergencies and on-call simulation training
- A teaching curriculum of medical emergencies and case-based discussions
- NHS hospital experience (pre-employment)
- A supported period of NHS employment
- Progression to FY2 and beyond (CREST sign-off)
- A dedicated LinkMedics NHS consultant mentor for 12-months
- A dedicated “peer mentor” for 12-months