Key Dates for 2022
Stage 1: Application form
Similar to applying for the Foundation Programme, IMT applications are advertised via Oriel (https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/Web). Do not underestimate the time that is required to fill in the application form.
References
- You are required to provide three references at this stage. One of these references must be your current educational supervisor. Essentially, they want to check that there are no concerns with your practice as a doctor. Make sure you email people with plenty of notice to make sure they are happy to be used as a reference.
Commitment to Medicine
- Be aware that whatever you write in this section won’t contribute to your application score, but your answers will certainly be discussed: don’t write anything you don’t want to talk about!
- Mention activities you have completed outside of your 9-5 job: a course or conference you have attended, a project you completed, some teaching you delivered, some procedures you have learnt, taster days/week that you have completed, MDTs/clinics you have sat-in on.
Interests Outside of Medicine
- Use activities you complete in your spare time/hobbies to address the person specification for an IMT trainee: teamwork skills, leadership skills, communication, organisation skills etc.
Stage 2: Long Listing
Everyone who meets the eligibility criteria gets longlisted. The majority of candidates will automatically meet the requirements for the eligibility section. Here are the criteria:
- Foundation competencies – completed F2/currently completing F2/speciality trainee. Make sure you can access your Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion! It can be found on Horus.
- Experience – a minimum of 24 months of clinical experience. You will have the task of manually inputting the different places where you have worked and your rotations.
- UK eligibility – the right to work in the UK.
- English language skills – ‘All candidates must have demonstrable written and spoken English skills adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues’.
- GMC status – full GMC registration is required before the start date of IMT training, with an up-to-date licence to practise medicine. This means that you can apply as an F2 doctor, provided you successfully pass your Foundation Programme before the IMT start date.
Stage 3: Shortlisting
Everyone who applies has to fill in a self-assessment form. The highest scoring applicants get invited to an interview. Find our self-assessment criteria and our guide to improve your portfolio here.
Stage 4: Interview
If you meet the eligibility criteria and score high enough on your application, you will be shortlisted for an interview. Updates on the status of your application are available on Oriel.
Interviews are around 25 minutes in duration and include four questions:
- Clinical scenario (investigations/diagnosis/management) and patient hand over
- Ethical question
- Suitability and commitment
- Application and training
Remember the importance of clear communication as this is also being assessed!
***Please note applicants with dyslexia will have reading time to be increased by 25%***
Maximum Raw score: /60
- Six domains assessed
- Two interviewers
- Each domain will be scored out of 5 by each interviewer: 1= poor 5 = excellent
Different sections of the interview are weighted differently. This will lead to a score out of 80 (see below).
All appointable candidates will be ranked from highest to lowest weighted interview score.
Stage 5: Offers
All appointable candidates are ranked using the interview score out of 80.
Three requirements to be considered as appointable:
- No score of 1/5
- No more than two scores of 2/5
- Raw interview score minimum 36/60
If you get the same score as someone else, an application score is used. This is a score is given to you prior to the interview, purely based on your application. This score is based on career progression/planning, application achievements and general quality of applications. In the unlikely event that two candidates with the same interview score and application score, the ranking will be generated randomly.
Useful website
The tables and figures on this page were taken from the IMT Recruitment website. Make sure you read it thoroughly before your application.
