Each person specification states that to progress to a higher specialty training post an applicant must have gained sufficient experience by the time of the post commencing from date for that round; you do not need to have the full experience requirement at time of application, as long as you are in a position to gain it by the deadline.

The factors affecting the requirement is whether the specialty is a Group 1 or Group 2 specialty and whether it accepts trainees from a non-medicine training background, information about which can be found on the 'Non-physicianly pathways' tab. Please note that all experience excludes foundation level training, which should be completed in addition to core-level training. 

Experience will be demonstrated by completing the application form and giving a full post medical qualifcation history, indicating the duartion, level and specialty of each post; there is no need to submit a CV. If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted so as to be certain the experience requirement can be met.


Group 1 specialties

Group 1 specialties only accept trainees from a medicine background who have completed the full IMT programme or equivalent experience; totalling 36 months in medical specialties  (of which at least 12 months include the care of acute medical in-patients) . The ways in which you can meet the experience requirement include:

  • Completion of the full UK Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training (usually three years)
  • Completion of the full UK ACCS Internal Medicine programme (usually four years)
  • UK Broad Based Training (medicine route and leading to completion of the full IM Stage 1 programme)
  • A standalone UK IMY3 programme (following completion of UK core medical trainingtraining/ACCS (acute medicine))
  • JRCPTB internationally level 3 accredited equivalent Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training programme
  • Have at least 36 months’ experience in medical specialties (of which at least 18 months must include the care of acute medical in-patients). Further information about this can be found below.


Group 2 specialties

Group 2 specialties vary in which training pathways they accept, however, all accept medicine as a minimum. You are advised to check the  person specification to see the requirements for the specialty in which you are interested; the information below relates just to those entering from a medicine training pathway who have:

  • Completed a UK Core Medical Training or UK ACCS (Acute Medicine) programme
  • Completed the first two years of UK Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training or the first three years of UK ACCS (Internal Medicine)
  • Completed the first three years of UK Broad Based Training (medicine route)
  • Completed a JRCPTB internationally level 3 accredited equivalent CMT programme or the first two years of an Internal Medicine Stage 1 Training programme
  • On your application: complete the experience page in full, and declare that you meet the experience requirements for the specialty If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted so as to be certain the experience requirement can be met. At least 24 months’ experience in medical specialties (of which at least 12 months must  include the care of acute medical in-patients).   

Experience gained outside of UK training

Whether you are applying for a Group 1 or Group 2 specialty, the rules for counting experience gained outside of UK training are the same.

  • Experience must be gained in one or more of the medical specialties as listed on the JRCPTB website.
  • Please note that the care of acute medical in-patients encompasses the assessment, diagnosis and management (both immediate and subsequent) of adults presenting to secondary care with acute medical problems. These range from young fit individuals with a severe acute illness to the frail elderly with multiple disorders. It is not possible to be prescriptive about which medical specialties do and do not count towards this as it will depend on the specific requirements of each post.
  • Experience gained in medicine anywhere in the world is counted.
  • All experience in a foundation training programme or at foundation-level, cannot be counted towards the experience requirement. This can be a  little more complicated for applicants with experience from outside the UK. Candidates will be asked to indicate the UK equivalent level of each post held, bearing in mind factors such as length of time since qualification and the responsibilities of the post.  Regions will assess the medical specialty experience of candidates by reviewing the experience section of their application form. If it is uncertain whether or not you meet this requirement, you may be asked to supply additional information after submitting your application.

Medical rotations in other specialty training programmes

As well as the listed specialties you can also count time spent in rotations of other specialties. So for example, if a trainee had gained six months' experience in hospital medicine but this was as part of a rotation in a general practice training programme, these six months could still be counted towards the 24 months requirement.


Full-time equivalent

All time periods referred to within the person specifications and this website are 'full-time equivalent'. So the time counted is the actual time spent working/training in medical posts, and not necessarily the time employed.

For example, were a trainee to be employed in a post for 10 months, but was working on a less-than-full-time basis of 0.6 (ie 60%), then only 60% of this time would count towards the experience figure. So in this example, this would equate to six months.


Limits on experience in ACCS based specialties

Time spent in certain specialties/programmes does not count fully towards the 24 months' experience requirement, as these often contain a mixture of medical and non-medical experience.

To aid candidates in estimating how much of their time these programmes should count towards their experience figure, we have produced the table below:

Specialty Maximum time that should be counted toward the experience requirement
acute medicine (including any done as part of ACCS) all
any other medical specialty listed on the JRCPTB website all
emergency medicine (including any done as part of ACCS) - also known as A&E 3 months
intensive treatment unit (ITU)/intensive care medicine (ICM) (including any done as part of ACCS) 3 months (unless a rotation on a CMT/IMT programme, in which case 100% of time)
anaesthetics (including any done as part of ACCS) none

Candidates applying from 'non-physicianly' training routes

There are a number of specialties participating in the PHST recruitment process which allow applications from trainees whose training to date may not have been wholly within 'physicianly' medicine,

These are allergy, audiovestibular medicine, clinical genetics, clinical neurophysiology, dermatology, haematology, immunology, medical ophthalmology, rehabilitation medicine and sport & exercise medicine.

Due to this allowance of alternative training backgrounds, the experience required of applicants to these specialties is different to the main requirements described in this section of the website.

Please view the relevant person specification for information on the specific requirements.

Providing information of 'alternative' experience

The method by which information on your experience is provided when applying to any of these specialties is exactly the same as for any of the other specialties, that is to complete the experience page in full, and declare that you meet the experience requirements for the specialty.

If it is necessary for your career history to be clarified, you may be contacted to be certain the experience requirement can be met.

Experience gained in medicine anywhere in the world is counted.

Equivalence of overseas training

Consideration of overseas training can be a little more complicated due to working out what is 'equivalent' to experience above foundation level.

Regions will assess the medical specialty experience of candidates by reviewing the experience section of their application form.

Candidates will be asked to indicate the UK equivalent level of each post held, bearing in mind factors such as length of time since qualification and the responsibilities of the post.

If it is uncertain whether or not you meet this requirement, you may be asked to supply additional information after submitting your application.

If you have previously been in a UK training programme and either relinquished, been released or removed from the programme, you will only be eligible to apply  under exceptional circumstances. This encompasses the following training programmes for physician higher specialty training:

  • reapplying to your intended specialty having previously held a training post
  • general internal medicine for Group 1 specialties - if you are applying for a Group 1 specialty, which all dual accredit with GIM, and had previously been in a training programme including GIM, this would qualify
  • a related core programme - this refers to IMT, core medical training, or ACCS acute/internal medicine for all specialties, and specialties which accept trainees from other pathways could include other specialties such as paediatrics, general practice etc.

Exceptional circumstances may be defined as a demonstrated change in circumstances which impact on your ability to train at the time, such as severe personal illness or family caring responsibilities, incompatible with continued training.


Support form

Should you be in this position, your application can only be considered if accompanied by a completed Support for Re-application to a Specialty Training Programme form - completed by the postgraduate dean, or designated deputy, of the region managing the training programme on which you were employed.

This can be accessed/downloaded from the document library .


Providing information

Support forms must be uploaded and submitted with your application. A question on the application form will ask if you fall into this category and answering yes will prompt you to upload the form. The form must have the original signature of the person completing the form and so a scan or photo of this is required.


If I applied in a previous round, but withdrew my application / rejected a post offer, does that count?

No. You would only be considered to have departed a post if you had physically begun working in the post, before leaving it at a later stage.

If you applied to in a previous round and then withdrew your application for any reason, even after accepting a post (as long as your withdrawal came before you actually started working in the post), this would not be classed as relinquishing a post. 

I was given an ARCP outcome 3 or 4 for core training due to not completing the MRCP(UK)?

If you were released from your core training programme due to not completing the MRCP(UK), and this was the only reason you were released, you do not need to declare that you have been released from a training programme.

You will attach a copy of your ARCP outcome to your application in the competences section so recruiters can see that this was the case.

Trainees currently working in the specialty, who are applying to continue their training in another region, or a different area within their current region, without a break in service will be required to submit a Support for Reapplication of Specialty Training in a Different Region form; which can be downloaded from the document library.

This form must be submitted by all applicants currently holding a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in a specialty training programme to which they are re-applying in open competition with the intention of changing region or area within their current region; it does not include trainees currently undertaking a LAT programme in the specialty.

The form must be completed by a Head of School or Training Programme Director, with direct knowledge of your training from the region where you currently undertake training in this specialty. 

Please ensure you advise your current Training Programme Director as soon as possible and ideally before the application is submitted.  Submission and approval of post numbers for recruitment happens way in advance of training programmes being advertised.  Being aware of a potential vacancy could assist your Training Programme Director with the management of their training programme.  Early communication of intention to the Training Programme Director will not affect your application.

Providing information

Support forms must be uploaded and submitted with your application. A question on the application form will ask if you fall into this category and answering yes will prompt you to upload the form. The form must have the original signature of the person completing the form and so a scan or photo of this is required.

All HST applicants must be able to meet the further requirements stated on the person specifications:

  • ability to provide a complete employment history - if it is not clear whether you have provided a full employment history, you may be contacted and asked to supply additional information; candidates not providing any employment history on their application form will be rejected.

  • evidence that career progression is consistent with personal circumstances - this requirement, and the one below, will be reviewed at interview as part of the interview

  • evidence that present achievement and performance is commensurate with totality of period of training

  • not already hold, or be eligible to hold a CCT/CESR, and must not currently be eligible for the specialist register for the specialty to which they are applying.

In the event a candidate already holds a CCT in general internal medicine (GIM), they would still be eligible to apply for a specialty post which dual accredits in GIM. However, they would be expected to fulfil the GIM service requirements of any such post, as well as those of the 'parent' specialty; and the programme length cannot be reduced as a result.

Applying for LAT posts

Applicants wishing to be considered for Locum Appointment for Training posts (where available) must have no more than 24 months' experience in LAT posts by intended start date.

Only LAT experience within the specialty you are applying to will be counted; any experience in other specialties' LATs is ignored.