Clinical attachment
Definition
A lot of International Medical Graduates choose to undertake a clinical (observer) attachment to gain familiarity with the NHS. Clinical attachments are work placements carried out in a hospital or general practice surgery, where a doctor shadows another doctor to find out about the work that they do and how the NHS works. They might also help you overcome cultural differences that you may face in the UK and will familiarise you with local accents. You may also encounter medical conditions that are common in the UK and with which you may not be familiar.
They are not paid placements, and indeed some hospitals ask doctors to pay to undertake clinical attachments. Normally you will be allocated a named supervisor who is responsible for you. Attachments usually last between two and four months. Experience shows that it is advisable to do a clinical attachment shortly before taking part 2 of the PLAB test or after you have successfully passed it. This ensures that you will get the most out of it.
As doctors on clinical attachments are only observing, and not engaging in clinical practice, you do not need GMC registration. There is no central body that arranges clinical attachments so you must arrange your own by contacting hospital medical staffing departments directly, enclosing a copy of your CV. Contact details for hospitals can be found on the NHS - Find and choose services section of their website and some postgraduate deaneries may also be able to assist.
Most attachments last between two and four months.