Routes to registration
There are four main routes to specialist registration in the UK. These pathways, and the certificates they result in, are outlined below:
Certificate issued: Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)
Eligibility requirements: This is for doctors who complete their specialist psychiatric training in GMC-approved training posts. For resident doctors that complete both Core and Higher psychiatry training in the UK.
Certificate issued: Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)
Eligibility requirements: This is for those who have completed part of their training in GMC-approved training posts and some outside of approved training posts, typically either international training that isn’t recognised by the GMC, or working as a Specialist or Associate Specialist doctor to obtain competencies.
Certificate issued: Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration
Eligibility requirements: This is the Portfolio Pathway, for those doctors who wish to gain Specialist Registration based upon their Knowledge, Skills and Experience (KSE) as measured against the Specialty Specific Guidance.
Find out more about Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration
Certificate issued: No certificate issued
Eligibility requirements: For doctors who hold a relevant specialist European Qualification which meets the .
Brexit's impact on psychiatry training
As of 28 May 2021, the GMC have announced the full impact of the UK leaving the EU on certification for resident doctors within psychiatry. UK postgraduate medical education is no longer bound by the EU directive, 'Professional qualifications in practice' and as a result there is no longer a mandated minimum training duration to be completed.
All psychiatric resident doctors, whether they enter ST4 through successful completion of Core training or via the Combined Programme route, will be eligible for CCT upon completion of their higher training.
This is not able to be applied retrospectively to before the UK's departure from the EU on 1 January 2021.
What this means for those previously issued with CESR via the Combined Programme
The recent change cannot be issued retrospectively so if you were issued a CESR through the Combined Programme before 1 January 2021 you cannot be issued with a CCT unless you meet the requirements below:
- Those previously issued with a CESR at the end of their CESR CP programme may be eligible to have it reviewed and be issued with a CCT.
- If you have qualified in either Child and Adolescent or General psychiatry, you will need to have been in GMC-approved UK training for a minimum of four years (WTE) and be able to provide evidence of this.
- For all other specialties with no minimum training time requirement, you would need to provide evidence of your time in UK training and that you left a GMC-approved UK training programme ready for consultant practice.
The GMC website has information on
What this means for MTIs
- Medical Training Initiative posts are not required to be undertaken in GMC approved UK training posts and MTI doctors and trusts are required not to complete a formal documented ARCP process.
- This means that MTI posts are not eligible to count towards a CCT.
Advice for SAS doctors
The experience and circumstance of SAS doctors is varied and the best course of action for specialist registration within psychiatry is very dependent on the specific doctor and it may not always compatible with re-entering training.
To decide on the best course of action we would advise:
- speaking with your local School of Psychiatry for a clear understanding of training and the options within it
- speaking with a CESR mentor in your trust (if you have one)
- speaking with any colleagues who are undergoing or have undergone the CESR process
- checking out our Accreditation for Specialist Registration in Psychiatry information pages on the Portfolio Pathway.
For further information please contact the specialist registration team.
Contacts for clarification
Current or prospective resident doctors (incl. of MTIs and SAS doctors) should email specialistregistration@rcpsych.ac.uk for clarification around their CCT eligibility or potential eligibility.
Those already on the specialist register should email the GMC at equivalence@gmc-uk.org to directly to discuss their eligibility.