This guidance will help you make the best possible application, from choosing the right specialty to guiding you through the entire application process.

You must ensure that you read any specialty specific guidance for the specialty/specialties to which you are considering making an application. Specialty specific guidance will be available from the Recruitment Leads for the individual specialties and from their specialty specific webpages.

NHS England Local Offices

Most specialty recruitment is organised nationally by a lead NHS England local office or devolved nation Deanery on behalf of all local offices and deaneries. This means that you complete one online application and state your preferred geographical location(s), rather than submitting multiple applications.

Important: Important

Recruitment will be conducted online and virtually. Individual specialty Lead Recruiters will be able to advise on the exact processes being used. 

There will be no interview process for General Practice ST1, Core Psychiatry CT1 or Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ST1. Selection decisions will be made solely on performance in the Multi Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA). 

Lead Recruiters
Specialty Level Lead Recruiter
Specialty Acute Internal Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter

NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Specialty Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) Emergency Medicine Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Allergy Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Anaesthetics and ACCS Anaesthetics Level CT1/ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - West Midlands
Specialty Audiovestibular Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Cardiology Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Cardiothoracic Surgery Level ST1  Lead Recruiter NHSE - Wessex
Specialty Chemical Pathology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - East Midlands
Specialty Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - North West
Specialty Clinical Genetics Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Clinical Neurophysiology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Clinical Oncology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Clinical Radiology Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Combined Infection Training Level ST3 / ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Community Sexual and Reproductive Health Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - East of England
Specialty Core Psychiatry Training Level CT1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - North West
Specialty Core Surgical Training Level CT1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Dermatology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Emergency Medicine - Direct Route of Entry and ACCS Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Emergency Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Gastroenterology Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty General Practice Level ST1 Lead Recruiter GP National Recruitment Office
Specialty General Surgery Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Genitourinary Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Geriatric Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Haematology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Histopathology Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Immunology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Intensive Care Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - West Midlands
Specialty Internal Medicine Training and ACCS Internal Medicine Level CT1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Medical Oncology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Neurology Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Neurosurgery Level ST1 / ST2 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Nuclear Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Obstetrics and Gynaecology Level ST1/ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - North West
Specialty Occupational Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Ophthalmology Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - South West
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Level ST1 / ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - South West
Specialty Otolaryngology (ENT) Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Paediatric Cardiology Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Wessex
Specialty Paediatric Surgery Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Paediatrics Level ST1 / ST3 / ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - West Midlands
Specialty Palliative Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Plastic Surgery Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Psychiatry of Learning Disability Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - North West
Specialty Psychiatry - Higher Training Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - North West
Specialty Public Health Level ST1 Lead Recruiter NHSE - East Midlands
Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Renal Medicine Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Rheumatology Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Sport and Exercise Medicine Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Specialty Thoracic Surgery Level ST4 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Wessex
Specialty Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Urology Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Specialty Vascular Surgery Level ST3 Lead Recruiter NHSE - London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Further information on the Lead Recruiters can be found on the Recruitment Leads page of the Oriel recruitment system.

Responsibilities of recruitment office

Each recruitment office is responsible for some or all of the following responsibilities. 

  • Advertising vacancies

  • Providing information on the recruitment process

  • Receiving applications

  • Longlisting applications against a set of agreed eligibility criteria

  • Shortlisting based on set criteria and scoring systems

  • Interviewing and selecting successful applicants

  • Making offers and receiving acceptances

Communication should be at an acceptable professional standard from recruiters to applicants and from applicants to recruiters. While you may not always agree with selection processes in place or the outcome of those selection processes, it is important that communications do not become unprofessional. Where communications become unprofessional, recruiters and/or clinical assessors will cease communication with you and will escalate the issue to the national Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection (MDRS) team. 

National recruitment rounds

Specialty recruitment is split into 4 recruitment rounds throughout the year. It is important that you familiarise yourself with which round the specialty that you wish to apply to is being recruited in.

Breakdown of different recruitment rounds
Round Description Date of advertisements
Academic recruitment

Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) posts in England are advertised and recruited. This round encompasses appointments to ACFs at all levels.

Adverts will appear in October 2023
Round 1

This encompasses recruitment to all CT1/ST1 specialty training programmes, across the UK and some run through specialties at higher entry levels. Posts appointed in this round will normally start in August 2024 and generally no later than December 2024.

Adverts will appear in October 2023
Round 2

This is the first time that ST3 and ST4 specialties in uncoupled training programmes will be advertised. Posts advertised in this round will normally commence between August 2024 and December 2024.

Adverts will appear in November 2023
Round 3

This round encompasses all recruitment for posts starting later than December 2024 and no later than April 2025. Generally, posts advertised in this round will have a commencement date of February 2025. Not all specialties will advertise in this round. This round includes adverts for posts at all entry levels and is not limited to CT1/ST1 or ST3/ST4 like some of the earlier recruitment rounds.

Adverts will appear in July 2024

Types of programmes

There are 2 types of training programmes.

A run through training programme is one where you apply for your post at the start of the programme and, subject to satisfactory progress, continue for the full duration of the training programme without the need to make a further application. On successful completion of the training programme a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) will be awarded.

Examples of run through specialties include General Practice, Paediatrics and Ophthalmology.

Uncoupled training is for specialties where you must apply at core level and be successful again to enter higher specialty training.

Examples of uncoupled specialties include Anaesthetics and Internal Medicine Training.

Competition

When deciding which posts and specialties to apply for, you are advised to consider carefully the likely levels of competition involved and be prepared to be flexible about your specialty choices. Not all applicants will be successful in getting a place in their first choice specialty and/or region.

Direct links to competition ratios from previous recruitment rounds are available.

These figures do not show what will happen in future years but offer a broad indication of the most and least subscribed specialties and areas in the previous recruitment year.

Page last reviewed: 28 July 2023
Next review due: 28 July 2024