Starting to work in NHS Scotland

Starting a new job is never easy and many doctors starting work for the first time in NHS Scotland will feel outside their comfort zone, whether they are in a new hospital, a new city or even a different country. It may be their first job as a doctor or they may have been practising for many years. Local departments should provide doctors starting work in Scotland with the information required to make this process as smooth as possible, and we have provided additional links below.

Our aims:

To provide support and resources for doctors in training, starting work in NHS Scotland for the first time, recognising the specific needs of international medical graduates and refugee doctors.

To ensure a consistent, person-centred, and holistic approach to support doctors returning to training with a defined process and framework.

To provide resources to enable an individual needs assessment for all doctors who return to training.

To provide a wide range of supportive resources for doctors returning to training.

To encourage a culture that welcomes diversity and fosters an ethos of inclusion in our training programmes.

Returning to training after time out

Many doctors will need to take some time out of training, and this can be for a wide variety of personal and professional reasons, such as external training, caring responsibilities, ill health or research. Sometimes, time out is planned but sometimes it is unexpected, and the duration of the pause in training can vary substantially.  For all these reasons, planning a return to training is different for each individual and should be tailored to the relevant circumstances.  Returning to training after time out of the clinical environment may be straightforward, but for some it can be a challenging process and each doctor will have different needs reflecting their own experiences and circumstances. It is vital that we support all doctors in training fairly and equitably, to enable them to reach their full potential and optimise their wellbeing.

 More detailed guidance for doctors returning to training after an absence can be found below.

Useful links:

New to working in Scotland? | Scotland Deanery (nhs.scot)

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) (nhs.scot)