This course explains how an international medical graduate can gain full registration with a licence to practise from the General Medical Council. It sets out each route to showing your knowledge and skills, the documents the GMC checks, and how to choose and plan the route that fits your experience, without relying on rumours or out-of-date advice.
What you will learn
- Explain the difference between registration, a licence to practise, and entry on the Specialist or GP Register.
- Describe the main ways an international medical graduate can demonstrate knowledge and skills for full registration, including PLAB, an acceptable postgraduate qualification, sponsorship and the Portfolio pathway.
- List the core evidence the GMC requires in every application, including primary source verification, English language evidence, an internship, a certificate of good standing and an identity check.
- Choose the most realistic route for a given doctor's qualifications and career stage, and justify the choice.
- Build a step-by-step registration plan with time limits and checks against the official GMC guidance.
Course content
- Registration, licensing and the registers explained (2 min)
- The evidence every applicant needs (4 min)
- The routes to show your knowledge and skills (5 min)
- Choosing your route (2 min)
- Case study: planning a route (2 min)
- Your registration action plan (2 min)
- After registration: the next steps (1 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024), particularly the duties to be honest in all communications with the regulator and to practise within your competence
- GMC: guidance on the PLAB test, acceptable postgraduate qualifications, evidence of knowledge of English, and applying for full registration as an international medical graduate
- GMC: specialty specific guidance for Portfolio pathway applications
- Medical Act 1983 (as amended), which sets the legal framework for medical registration in the UK
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Related guides
GMC Registration Routes for International Doctors: PLAB, Sponsorship and the Portfolio Pathway
GMC registration routes for international doctors explained: PLAB, sponsorship, postgraduate qualifications and the Portfolio pathway, and how to choose.
Good Medical Practice 2024: A Summary of the GMC's Standards
A plain summary of Good Medical Practice 2024: the four domains, the five themes of change, key duties, worked examples, and how to use it for appraisal.
Working in the NHS as an International Medical Graduate: Culture and Expectations
Working in the NHS as an IMG: how teams, hierarchy, communication, escalation and patient expectations work, and how to settle in during your first months.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.