As with any area of employment or specialty it can sometimes be difficult to get the job or placement you want when you want it. There are, however, some short cuts or tricks of the trade which may help you get the job you’re after in faster time.
If you do not have a permanent placement, or you are perhaps only working part-time permanently, it is worth registering with the General Medical Council (GMC) as someone who would be interested as working as a locum. A locum is a qualified doctor who can be called upon to fill in temporary vacancies made available by sickness, staff holidays or ongoing recruitment processes. By working as a locum you expand your area of knowledge, you work in more placements (and therefore clinics, hospitals and divisions), and you rack up more experience for your curriculum vitae.
In a similar manner it may be worth registering your interest for clinical attachment within the NHS. Similar in scope to locum placements, clinical attachments are short periods of work within specialist areas which allow the attached doctor to gain wider experience within particular fields of medicine. Clinical attachments are moderated by the NHS and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are subject to work permit restrictions. UK-qualified medics should find it easier to gain clinical attachments. Of course the bonuses with such attachments are threefold – you not only broaden your area of expertise, but you make more contacts within your industry and you may be offered a long-term placement at the end of your attachment.
If you do not have a permanent placement, or you are perhaps only working part-time permanently, it is worth registering with the General Medical Council (GMC) as someone who would be interested as working as a locum. A locum is a qualified doctor who can be called upon to fill in temporary vacancies made available by sickness, staff holidays or ongoing recruitment processes. By working as a locum you expand your area of knowledge, you work in more placements (and therefore clinics, hospitals and divisions), and you rack up more experience for your curriculum vitae.
In a similar manner it may be worth registering your interest for clinical attachment within the NHS. Similar in scope to locum placements, clinical attachments are short periods of work within specialist areas which allow the attached doctor to gain wider experience within particular fields of medicine. Clinical attachments are moderated by the NHS and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are subject to work permit restrictions. UK-qualified medics should find it easier to gain clinical attachments. Of course the bonuses with such attachments are threefold – you not only broaden your area of expertise, but you make more contacts within your industry and you may be offered a long-term placement at the end of your attachment.