What happens after your residency?

[jane2]

Hi

Can someone help me out here... I'm just wondering how the full lnegth of training compares in the US to here in the UK. So, supposing one gets ontoa residency, does one have to do any further training after that? How much further training (if any) is required for you to reach whatever is the UK equivalent of a consultant in your field?

Also, once you've done your residency in the US, can you come back and practice at a higher level in the UK than you would have been eligible for when you left? (I'm planning on doing my residency in the US right atfer med school in the UK - if I came back, would I have go right back to PRHO year?)

Thanks

Jane

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[john182]

Hi

Can someone help me out here... I'm just wondering how the full lnegth of training compares in the US to here in the UK. So, supposing one gets ontoa residency, does one have to do any further training after that? How much further training (if any) is required for you to reach whatever is the UK equivalent of a consultant in your field?

Also, once you've done your residency in the US, can you come back and practice at a higher level in the UK than you would have been eligible for when you left? (I'm planning on doing my residency in the US right atfer med school in the UK - if I came back, would I have go right back to PRHO year?)

Thanks

Jane

I am no NHS manager but it works like this from people I've known.

You go to US, do a residency. That is 3-5 years depending on speciality. Say 4 for average. At the end of that you do your boards and become say Board Certified. This is like getting your memberships.

You would not however be eligible for specialty consultant posts in the UK then as you only have basic training complete. For example, you do general surg residency in US, doesn't make you eligible in UK for consultant posts as you have no specialist training. You would come back after residency and be eligible for SpR posts - and in surgery and medicine that's another 5 years (!).

So if you go to the US, go fully. Get the residency *and* the fellowship speciality training. E.g., internal medicine (3 years residency) and then cardiology (4 years fellowship I think). That would compare to UK of 2 years for memberships and 5 years SpR (but competition in UK for SpR is much higher and you wouldn'y get it as fast as that, maybe needing an extra year of lecturing or something).

It does depend on which speciality you do. Doing family practice in US is not going to get you a GP post in the UK. Likewise, doing invasive cardiology fancy research or something would.

A basic training residency (which is what residencies are -they are not the sugar-coated fast track to consultancy/attending) is only basic training. You still need to think of which subspeciality.

 

[jane2]

Thanks, that's really helpful. I am not sure what I want to specialise in - at the moment I'm keen on obstetrics. So that would mean I would need to do an ob/gyn residency and then after that I would need to find a fellowship, right?

Are fellowships done through universities? How do you apply for them, are they very competitive?

After that would I be eligible to practise in the UK as a consultant? I'm unlikely to want to come back but it is possible that I might one day.

 

[john182]

Thanks, that's really helpful. I am not sure what I want to specialise in - at the moment I'm keen on obstetrics. So that would mean I would need to do an ob/gyn residency and then after that I would need to find a fellowship, right?

Are fellowships done through universities? How do you apply for them, are they very competitive?

After that would I be eligible to practise in the UK as a consultant? I'm unlikely to want to come back but it is possible that I might one day.

Well basically a OBGYN residency wouldn't allow you to be entered on the register of medical specialists - this is why you need a fellowship but again it's up to the MRCOG largely.

Fellowships are like SpRs in UK - more competitive depending on area of expertise.

You may be unlikely to want to come back but check that visa first. If it's not a green card or a US passport, either you're coming back in 7 years anyway or your going to New Mexico to get a 3 year job in the middle of nowhere to get the US Department of Agriculture to approve a waiver for you.

 

[jane2]

Oh dear...! Yes, I'd try and get a green card before I came. I am going to have to do a little (big..) bit more research into that whole minefield.

Thanks for your help.