Hi, my name is Syed Mashood. I am an IMG from India, and I have recently secured a clinical observership . In today's blog, I am going to tell you about my experience which I hope will help you on your journey. I will discuss in this blog the following:
- Where to look
- Unconventional methods
- What to do once they have accepted your request
Finding a clinical observership
Securing clinical observerships has become very difficult due to the sheer volume of requests the trusts around the UK get , it gets a bit tricky to be heard in an ocean of requests. Only thing you have to increase your chances is the sheer number of requests you send. Consultant emails can be a bit hard to find if you don't know where to look.
Places to look for consultant emails:
- Trust websites: Each trust has its own website, if you explore the "staff section" of the website in each department you'll find the list of consultants and few of them will also display their email address. Also you can check for "work with us" which will have posts which are vacant along with the lead consultant in charge and their contact info. There are a lot of trusts so you have access to a lot of emails, only you can decide how many you wish to contact.
- NHS jobs website: By opening the job search you'll find posts along with the lead consultant in charge and their contact info.
- LinkedIn: If you have a LinkedIn in account , you can get connected with a lot of consultants directly. Search for NHS consultants and you'll get a list, you can be specific about the speciality too. But does need you to have a LinkedIn account and broad connections.
- Contact HR department of each Trust: Directly contacting the HR may help sometimes, you can find their contact info in the Trust website.
Unconventional methods
This is your best bet to be frank, if you have a family member working as a consultant in the UK things can be easy ,you can contact them set you up for the observership/attachment. But most of us don't have this option, but we all do have seniors from our undergraduate medical colleges and also postgraduates who would have gone there a few years back, they will have contacts with consultants from various speciality and they can request on your behalf there is no loss in trying.
By a bit of networking and asking around I am definitely sure you'll find someone. You can ask your friends in other medical colleges I they know anyone working as a Doctor in the UK. You can ask your favourite professor in medical school if they have any friends in the UK.
If you are currently working you can ask your unit head or your dean for links .You can ask your family doctor if they know any of their undergraduate classmates in the UK working as consultants. Request for guidance in alumni groups of your college as there definitely will be someone willing to help.
All you need is a link ,and with this approach I am sure you'll find someone willing to mentor you in your whole journey as well as help you get a clinical observership. Attending major conferences will help you get in contact with consultants as most do attend major conferences.
Documents needed to apply for a clinical observership
You'll have to mail your updated CV, a personalized cover letter and I have been told that to be taken seriously it is better if you also mail your visa and police clearance certificate. The aim is to make it as easy as possible to process our application. They will hesitate with the attachment if you already don't have visa thinking they will be the purpose of your visit.
What to do once they have accepted your request
Once a consultant has accepted your request , you'll have to contact the HR department, they will give you an application form along with an occupational health check form . You'll be asked to send a copy of your passport, visa , police clearance certificate. Also show record of previous vaccination and do a serology test from UK accredited labs.
Need more tips and advice?
Check these posts out for further guidance:
1. https://www.trewlink.blog/post/documents-required-for-clinical-attachment
2. https://www.trewlink.blog/post/how-to-get-a-uk-clinical-attachment-firsthand-ex
perience-from-uk-based-imgs
How TrewLink can help
If you have any questions about building your portfolio, I would be happy to answer them at
trewlink.com. You can register using this link. Find me as an Ambassador and Follow my profile – Syed Mashood Iqbal- to receive regular support and advice.