Fitness to practice for GMC registration
- April 10, 2020
A fitness to practice is required for overseas doctors who want to register with the GMC.
This blog will break down what the rules are, and what evidence you will need to prepare and provide by looking at the following:
- What is evidence of your fitness to practice?
- Declaration of your fitness to practice
- Supporting evidence
- Certificate of good standing
- How do I request a certificate of good standing?
Remember, at IMG Connect we always advise IMGs to prepare all documents before starting applications, it will save you time, and stress!
What is evidence of your fitness to practice?
As part of your GMC application, the GMC require you to provide evidence of your fitness to practice. This is broken down into two areas from your online application:
Declaration of fitness to practice:
As part of your online GMC application to join the register you must complete a declaration of fitness to practice. This declaration is only valid for 3 months, so ensure you get the timing right with your application, otherwise the GMC will ask you to complete a new one.
When completing your application online, you will be asked 12 questions in the fitness to practice character declaration section. You should complete the declaration by choosing YES or NO for each question.
These cover a range of fitness to practice topics, including previous convictions, disciplinary actions, conduct and so on.
It is important to say that you should always be honest in your answers.
Supporting evidence:
The GMC will ask you to provide supporting evidence of your fitness to practice, these are broken down into the following:
- details of all postgraduate medical experience for the last five years or since you graduated
- details of all postgraduate non-medical experience for the last five years or since you graduated*
- details of all certain other activities for the last five years or since you graduated
- a certificate of good standing from each medical regulatory authority you've been registered or licensed with
*If you have worked in a non-medical capacity it is also likely that you will be asked for employer references to cover this non-medical work.
Certificate of good standing
As above, you will require a certificate from your regulatory body to be sent to the GMC to confirm your good standing with them. The GMC will need a certificate of good standing from all of the countries you've been registered with in that time, even if you haven't been practising there. You can register for a certificate of good standing from your regulatory body in your home country, which they will send directly to the GMC.
Certificates of good standing and employer references are only valid for three months from the date that they are issued and must be valid on the date your application to the GMC is approved.
What is a certificate of good standing?
A certificate of good standing will show any restrictions on your practice, your registration history, including current license status, identity information and any current proceedings. It should be issued in English.
In the European Union these documents are known as certificates of current professional status.
How do I request a certificate?
You will need to contact your regulatory body and request this from them directly. You can find out which medical regulatory authority to contact using the Certificate of good standing database.
References:
When writing this article we have taken our information from the following sources:
https://www.gmc-uk.org
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Once you have accepted your new role, you’ll then be supported and led throughout by one of our dedicated relocation executives who will guide you through all the way to starting to your new role including:
Document gathering and checking
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Provide high-quality specialist care to melanoma patients attending the Kent Oncology Centre.
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Attend relevant MDT meetings and coordinate treatment planning with other specialists.
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Contract and offer negotiations for salary, relocation packages, tenure, and more
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CV Preparation with a bespoke session with one of our specialists
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Application support with expert knowledge of NHS specialisms & recruitment practice
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At least two video calling interview preparation sessions
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Contract and offer negotiations for salary, relocation packages, tenure and more
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Document gathering and checking
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COS and Visa Application support if applicable
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Support sourcing short- and long-term accommodation
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