If your hospital is providing a placement for an International Medical Graduate through the RCOG’s Medical Training Initiative, please read this guidance to support the doctor to quickly acclimatise to working within your team here in the UK.
- MTI doctors should enjoy equal access to the same training opportunities and materials as other trainees in the department
- MTI doctors should have regular meetings with their Educational Supervisor to review their progress and address any difficulties they may be experiencing as early as possible. These meetings should be documented using the RCOG e-portfolio which MTI doctors should set up at the earliest opportunity.
- All doctors should be introduced to staff and colleagues in the department, to supervisors and to the College Tutor. They should be given enough time to adjust to a new workplace and to shadow colleagues in the first instance.
We encourage and recommend a shadowing period of a minimum of 2 weeks, including the shadowing of a colleague on a night or weekend shift. - After shadowing, the trainee should preferably work at ST2 level before working as an ST3. The length of time spent working as an ST2 may vary, depending on the trainee’s ability and adaptability.
The RCOG’s recommendation is that the trainee works as an ST2 for 3–6 months maximum.
Local arrangements should be sufficiently flexible to allow this. - Before working at ST3 level, the trainee should demonstrate independent practice as set out in the RCOG training matrix for MTI trainees (PDF 365kb). This will provide objective evidence of progression and standard of skills required. Importantly, it also provides the trainee with clear targets to achieve.
Important information
The RCOG has the duty to provide MTI doctors with pastoral support but cannot be involved in any communication between a doctor and a hospital regarding any contractual and/or legal aspects of the MTI doctor’s placement. This must be between the hospital and the doctor as the employer and employee and does not come under the responsibility or capacity of the RCOG.