1. Provisional registration

Doctors obtain a provisional registration if they have just qualified from medical school in the UK or from certain European Economic Area (EEA) member states.

2. Full registration

Doctors receive a full registration if they have completed their 12 month clinical training.

3. Limited registration is for international doctors

International medical graduates can have a limited registration if they have completed the equivalent of a 12 month clinical training in the UK.

4. Specialist registration

Those doctors who have completed specialist medical training and have a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) can have a specialist registration. A CCT confirms that a doctor has completed an approved training programme and is eligible for entry onto the GP Register or the Specialist Register.

The GP Register is a register of all those eligible to work in general practice in the NHS.

Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test

Before getting the full registration, some categories of overseas doctors are required to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test. The PLAB test is the main route by which International Medical Graduates (IMGs) demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practisesafely at the level of an SHO in the UK.

Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test consists of two parts. The first part consists of a written test of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The second partis an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). It is composed of 16 five-minute clinical stations which assess professional skills.

Stations of PLAB

OSCEs assess the following skills:

• Clinical examination: The graduates are able to carry out a physical examination of a simulated patient, an actor trained to play this role. Sometimes they use a manikin and an anatomical model if the examinations are uncomfortable or intimations.

• Practical skills: The graduates will be assessed on practical skills such as suturing and giving intravenous injections.

• Communication skills: The graduates are able to interact with a simulated patient, or in some cases the examiner. Also they have to show how to break bad news more correctly and give advice on lifestyle.

• History taking: The graduates will be assessed for their ability to take an accurate history and make a reasoned diagnosis.

The candidates must read the instructions outside each station carefully. They have only one minute for that. They must not forget about the ABC (airways, breathing, circulation) protocol in every emergency station. They should keep in mind safety precautions like throwing the sharps in the sharps bin. The candidates must check the patient’s understanding what is happening; then ask them about any concerns they may have. It would be better not just to give a lecture but listen carefully to what the actor says.

Note: Sharps are needles and blades which have to be disposed of safely in a special container called a sharps bin.