Working as a radiologist in the UK

There are several grades at which you can work in the UK – for example, as a permanent NHS consultant, as a temporary (locum) NHS consultant, as a specialty doctor (a non-consultant career grade), or as a specialty trainee/registrar. All of these require General Medical Council (GMC) registration and we recommend obtaining this as early as possible.  

How to prepare to work in the UK: 

• Make sure that your CV is well structured. Use our helpful tips and hints to help you prepare for job interviews. 
• Doctors practising medicine in the UK must have the necessary knowledge of English to communicate effectively.  Read our page on the required standards for English language. 
• You are likely to require a visa to work in the UK. The visa you need depends on a number of things, but working as a medical doctor is likely to require a Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa. Check out the options on the UK visas and immigration website. 
• Brexit – EU Settlement Scheme , Guide to Registration for Doctors  
• External job vacancy site: BMJ Careers, NHS Jobs, NHS Scotland Medical Recruitment, HSC Jobs - Search for Health and Social care Jobs in Northern Ireland - Formerly HSCRecruit - HSCNI Jobshttps://jobs.hscni.net/
• Standards for professional practice.

It can be beneficial to work for a period as a locum or in a supervised post before deciding whether a permanent NHS consultant post is right for you. This can help to adapt to NHS practice, which might be quite different to what you are used to. 

To work in the NHS, you need to be registered with the GMC. There are a number of different routes to getting registered which depend on job role.  

GMC full registration is needed to work as a locum NHS consultant (or as anything other than as a permanent NHS consultant, such as a registrar or specialty doctor).  

If you don’t want to work as a permanent NHS consultant or need some experience in the UK before making an application for specialist registration, GMC full registration might be right for you.   GMC specialist registration is needed to work as a permanent NHS consultant. Learn more about applying for specialist registration.

Welcome to the UK Practice is a free workshop hosted by the GMC designed to support doctors new to the UK. It offers practical advice on UK practice and living in the UK, guidance on ethical scenarios you may encounter and provides an opportunity to connect virtually with other doctors coming from abroad.  

We are also here to support you throughout your career and will continue to work towards providing the best tools possible, to allow you to excel in your role as a clinical radiologist.  If you’re working here and are not yet a member of the RCR, find out more about the benefits of membership and how to apply.