Specialty Recruitment

Welcome to the Specialty Recruitment pages of the NIMDTA website.

Recruitment Opportunities

Commencing August 2017 - Round 2
Specialty Level Number of vacancies Lead Recruiter Interview Dates How to Apply
Plastic Surgery ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 April 2017 Oriel
ENT ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 8 March 2017 Oriel
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 7 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 4 & 5 April 2017 Oriel
General Surgery ST3 6 London and South East (LaSE) 20-29 March 2017 Oriel
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ST4 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 & 26 April 2017 Oriel
Forensic Psychiatry ST4 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 & 26 April 2017 Oriel
General Psychiatry ST4 4 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 & 26 April 2017 Oriel
General Psychiatry and Old Age Psychiatry ST4 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 & 26 April 2017 Oriel
Psychiatry of Learning Disability ST4 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 & 26 April 2017 Oriel
Acute Medicine ST3 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 20 April 2017 Oriel
Cardiology ST3 5 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 April 2017 Oriel
Combined Infection Training leading to a Dual CCT in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 26 April 2017 Oriel
Dermatology ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 7 April 2017 Oriel
Endocrinology ST3 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 April 2017 Oriel
Gastroenterology ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 6 April 2017 Oriel
Geriatrics ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Haematology ST3 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 6 April 2017 Oriel
Neurology ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 4 April 2017 Oriel
Nephrology / Renal Medicine ST3 3 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 April 2017 Oriel
Respiratory Medicine ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 25 April 2017 Oriel
Rheumatology ST3 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 10 April 2017 Oriel
Clinical Genetics ST3 1 HEE West Midlands 28 March 2017 Oriel
Clinical Oncology ST3 3 London and South East (LaSE) 6 & 7 April 2017 Oriel
Palliative Medicine ST3 1 HEE West Midlands 9 & 10 March 2017 Oriel
Medical Oncology ST3 1 London and South East (LaSE) 26 April 2017 Oriel
Commencing August 2017 - Round 3
Specialty Level Number of vacancies Lead Recruiter Interview Dates How to Apply
Combined Specialty Training CT1 / ST1 10 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel
Core Medical Training CT1 LAT 3 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 15 June 2017 Oriel
Core Medical Training CT2 LAT 3 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 15 June 2017 Oriel
Core Medical Training CT3 5 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 15 June 2017 Oriel
Cardiothoracic Surgery ST3 LAT 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST1 LAT 6 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 11 May 2017 Oriel
Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST2 LAT 6 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 11 May 2017 Oriel
Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST3 LAT 4 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 11 May 2017 Oriel
Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST7 sub-specialty training 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 11 May 2017 Oriel
Core Surgery CT1 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Emergency Medicine Clinical Fellow / LAT1 8 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel
Paediatric Emergency Medicine ST5/ST7 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel
Commencing August 2017 - Round 4
Specialty Level Number of vacancies Lead Recruiter Interview Dates How to Apply
General Surgery ST3 LAT 10 (minimum) Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Haematology ST3 LAT 2 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Neurology ST3 LAT 3 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Rheumatology ST3 LAT 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Rehabilitation Medicine ST3 LAT 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency TBC Oriel
Innovative Specialty Development Posts in Core Medicine, Paediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynaecology
Focus groups with doctors in training in Northern Ireland have shown that while many post-Foundation doctors know what specialty they want to enter, others are keen to explore different career options, develop their CV and work for professional examinations.

In response to this desire for greater flexibility, NIMDTA is pleased to announce as part of NIMDTA’s VALUED initiative an innovative Specialty Development Programme.

This completely new programme offers doctors the opportunity to gain experience and training 4 days per week in a training post in core medicine, paediatrics or obstetrics/gynaecology in NI and 1 day/week offers trainees additional developmental opportunities to explore different specialties (through taster days), develop their teaching skills (medical education project), undertake a quality improvement/service development project within their Trust and attend focused career development sessions (leadership skills, communication skills, examination preparation, teaching skills, journal club skills, chairing skills and interview practice).

The training in the base specialty programme (core medicine, paediatrics or obstetrics/gynaecology) will be recognised pro rata in that programme if doctors are successful in entering that specialty programme subsequently (9 months recognition for the 12-month post).  In addition, these doctors will be able to attend formal teaching sessions in that programme, the iQuest generic skills programme and receive support through the lead educators for that programme, study leave funding and NIMDTA’s professional support team.

This innovative programme offers doctors who are unsure about what they want to do next a fantastic opportunity to explore other career options, make themselves more competitive for subsequent specialty applications and have that training and experience credited towards a specialty programme if they subsequently enter that programme – while being supported by NIMDTA.

Specialty Level Number of vacancies Lead Recruiter Interview Dates How to Apply
Specialty Development Post – Core Medicine LAT CT1 A minimum of 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel
Specialty Development Post – Obstetrics and Gynaecology LAT ST1 A minimum of 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel
Specialty Development Post – Paediatrics LAT ST1 A minimum of 1 Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency 24 May 2017 Oriel

Applicants Guide

The Applicant Handbook for Northern Ireland for posts commencing August 2017 is available below:

Please note this applies to Northern Ireland only.  It is important that all applicants read this guide as it contains all the information that applicants will require regarding this Recruitment process.

There may be circumstances where a trainee must remain within a geographical area for significant caring or ongoing medical reasons.  Where this situation arises a trainee can apply for consideration of Special Circumstances. Details of the process of applying for Special Circumstances are available below:

Approval of a special circumstances application does not guarantee a specific placement within a training programme.

SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND:

Please note that Flexibility in Deployment of Trainees is applicable only to England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements for management of requests for Special Circumstances.  Further information is available via email to hr.nimdta@hscni.net

Facilitated Placements will not take place in Northern Ireland for August 2017 in any specialty process.

Deferral of Posts: Deferral for non-statutory reasons within the GP Process will not be facilitated in Northern Ireland.

Competition Ratios

Interview Formats
Interview formats differ between specialties, however, may generally include a number assessments stations e.g 2 -5 which may assess skills such as: communication, clinical judgement, prescribing amongst others.

Further information regarding interview formats will be published here, when available.

Documentation to be brought to interview
Below you will find a list of documents that you will be required to bring to interview at NIMDTA.

Please note that these guidelines are in addition to national guidance on documentation.  Please also ensure that you have read the applicant guide for the specialty to which you have applied.

If you are successful at shortlisting and invited to interview you will need to bring originals and copies of the following documentation with you:

Document Number of Copies Required Notes
Proof of identity 1 Passport or European Driving license.
Right to Work 1 Evidence of visa status, including letter from the Home Office, Passport and Residence Permit.
Access NI 1 original and 1 photocopy Applicants must bring 3 pieces of ID to the document check (see list of Valid ID Documents below); the original and one photocopy of each piece of ID will be required.  On acceptance of an offer, applicants will be emailed with instructions on how to apply for an AccessNI Certificate online. Please visit the Access NI page for further information.
Proof of address (x1) , Bank/credit card statement x 1, 1 x utility bill 1 Please ensure that all statements and letters are dated within 3 months of your interview.  All documents must state your current address. Tenancy agreements, council tax bills, mortgage statements and UK driving licenses (both paper and card) will be accepted as proof of address.  If you are having difficulty providing evidence for your current address or any other queries with the Access NI process, please refer to the Access NI website: http://www.dojni.gov.uk/accessni.
GMC/GDC Certificate and License to Practice 1 GMC/GDC Certificate or valid registration certificate Candidates must bring a copy of both their original GMC certificate and their renewal letter.
Proof of Qualifications 1 Medical/Dental degree Other exams and College Memberships cited in your application.
Proof of IELTS/English Language proficiency 1 Applicants must have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues, as assessed by the General Medical Council (GMC). Please view the GMCs guidance on this at the attached link:http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/registration_applications/language_proficiency.asp
Foundation Competences 1 You will be required to present documentation to detail your eligibility to apply for the level of post you are being interviewed for. Alternative Certificate for Foundation Competencies
Core Competences 1 You will be required to present documentation to detail your eligibility to apply for the level of post you are being interviewed for.
Evidence of educationally approved posts cited on your application form 1

Additional documents may be required by particular specialties.  Please refer to the relevant College and Deanery websites to obtain further guidance on any specifically requested documentation to be brought to interview.

PORTFOLIO

Your portfolio may be examined by panel members and may contribute to the interview discussion.  You are strongly advised to ensure that it contains relevant evidence of academic achievement, attainment of Foundation and Higher Specialty competences as appropriate and of key activities which you have undertaken in the workplace or within the community which demonstrates your strengths as a doctor and manager of people.

Please note that you may be asked to refer to documents during your document check or interview.  You should make sure that you can access these quickly if required.

Although many trainees now use e-portfolio, a hard copy portfolio which contains the evidence of information contained within e-portfolio is required at interview.

The guidance below shows how you may structure your portfolio and what may be included:

Offers of Appointment
Information regarding the offers process can be found on pages 29 – 32 of the Medical Specialty Recruitment Applicant Handbook 2017.

Career Information
Candidate Feedback
Where available, the Oriel application system will provide candidates with information on interview outcomes as follows:

  • Your score per station
  • Your total score
  • Maximum score available
  • Your appointability
  • Your ranking.  Please note, if you do not reach the required threshold for appointability, you will not be given a rank.

Where this information is not available to candidates via the Oriel system, you may request feedback by submitting this form.

Written feedback, other than the information identified above, is not provided.  Verbal feedback is also not provided.

Requests for scoresheets / interview notes will be dealt with under the Subject Access Provisions of the Data Protection Act.  For details of how to make a request, please visit our Data Protection and Freedom of Information Page.

Pre-Employment Checks
References
Reference reports are not used for scoring purposes during shortlisting or interview but will be reviewed during the selection process and again prior to confirmation of appointment for successful applicants.  The reference process is designed to check the accuracy of your previous employment and training history and to provide assurance of your suitability for employment.

You must provide contact details, including up-to-date e-mail addresses, of three referees who have supervised your clinical training within the past three years.  If you are applying to more than one specialty, you may opt to nominate different referees for each specialty.  If you have recently had a career break and can not nominate referees from the past three years, then your referees must include your two most recent supervisors.

You should contact your clinical referees in advance to confirm that they are willing to provide a reference and are available and able to do so in the time period required for selection and appointment.

If you are offered, and accept a training programme, your employer will not be able to issue a contract without references.

Access NI Checks (Criminal Records Checks)

From 1 April 2015 AccessNI checks will be completed online. Applicants for forthcoming interviews will no longer be required to bring a completed AccessNI form to interview with them; they will however still need to bring the required ID documents (see link for AccessNI page below). On acceptance of an offer, applicants will be emailed with instructions on how to apply for an AccessNI Certificate online.

Please bring the original document and one photocopy of each piece of ID to your document check with you.

Please visit the Access NI page for further information.

Fitness to Practise Declarations
As part of the application process to specialty training, applicants are required to declare any fitness to practise issues to hr.nimdta@hscni.net.  These declarations are held confidentially by the Professional Support Department until the recruitment process is complete.  Declarations from successful applicants will be shared with the Trainee Support Review Group (TSRG) to establish if the information provided warrants completion of an individual Transfer of Information (TOI) form.  The information will also be forwarded to the Medical Director, Director of Medical Education and Medical HR within each future employing Trust for the duration of the training programme.

Pre-Employment Health Assessment
NIMDTA co-ordinates pre-employment health assessments on behalf of the employing Trusts.   Successful applicants will be unable to commence employment without having completed a satisfactory PEHA and may result in withdrawal of the offer of appointment.  Further information on how this will be carried out will be provided on the NIMDTA website.

Evidence of Advanced Life Support (ALS)
All CT1/ST1 Person Specifications have as one of their eligibility criteria the possession of an ALS certificate.  This will be checked pre-employment, and any offer of a training programme will be conditional upon you presenting it to your first employer or the Deanery.

Right to work in the UK
UK and EEA nationals and doctors whose immigration status entitles them to work as a doctor in training in the UK are eligible to apply for specialty training. Evidence of immigration status would be a biometric residence card, date stamped passport and/or identity card. All of these documents need to be dated as at or prior to the application closing date.

Other non-UK or non-EEA nationals with limited leave to remain in the UK, whose employment will require a Tier 2 visa, are subject to the resident labour market test. This would include, for example, doctors on student visas or Tier 1 of the Points-Based System who are restricted from taking employment as a doctor in training. The labour market test means that you would only be considered if there were no suitable UK or EEA national (settled status) candidates for the post.

You will be asked to bring your passport and proof of your immigration status to any interviews or assessments you attend.

***GP Specialty Only*** 

It is important to note that non-UK/EEA nationals with limited leave to remain in the UK, whose employment will require a Tier 2 visa and subject to the resident labour market test, are eligible in Round 1 and can be offered a training post after UK/EEA nationals (this is only applicable to GP).

Disability Discrimination Act
You will be asked to identify on your application from if you consider yourself disabled as set out in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA.)  You will also be asked to give specific arrangements you require to attend interview if invited.  This information WILL NOT be available to short-listing or selection panels.

For more information on the DDA please click here.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme
You will be asked to show on your application form if you consider yourself disabled as set out in the Equality Act 2010 and whether you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.  This information will not be available to short-listing panels. For further information visit: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/index.htm

Where necessary and possible, reasonable adjustments will be made to facilitate attendance at interview to meet the needs of applicants with disabilities. Applicants will need to ensure that they enter into an early dialogue with the relevant recruiting organisation. Eg NIMDTA, College or other UK Deanery.

Travel Expenses
Please note candidates travel to attend interviews at their own cost.   Travel expenses will not be reimbursed by NIMDTA.
Allocation of Placements for Doctors in Training
When you submit an application for specialty training, you are applying for a place on an educational training programme.  You are not applying for a specific programme, rotation or post.

If you are successful at interview, you will be allocated to the most appropriate programme based on your selection score and programme availability.  Your programme preferences will be taken into consideration wherever possible.  You will receive confirmation of your placement and a contract of employment will be issued by the employing organisation, subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks.

There may be circumstances where a trainee must remain within a geographical area for specific family, caring or health reasons.  Where this situation arises a trainee can apply for consideration of Special Circumstances. More information is available via hr.nimdta@hscni.net

Complaints Process
It is inevitable that some applicants will be disappointed by the outcome for the recruitment process as it is a competitive one.  A complaints process is an essential safeguard against unfairness.  The complaints process for 2016 recruitment appears below:

Trust Information
Information regarding working patterns, detailed job descriptions, salary scales and Terms and Conditions of Employment for Specialty Training Doctors will be available on the Trust websites.  Our Trust HR Information page contains details of forms which must be downloaded and completed for commencement of your placement, and also details the documentation you are required to supply on our first day.
Code of Practice - Provision of Information for Postgraduate Medical Training
Doctors in training require details about the programmes and posts they are applying for, where they will be working and their conditions of employment.  This Code of Practice lays out the agreed set of information that Deaneries and employing Trusts should provide to doctors in training at each stage of the recruitment process.

View Information for Newly Appointed Doctors in Training.

If you have any questions regarding the information above, please contact specialty.nimdta@hscni.net.