AIBU to be furious that there are no jobs for young doctors

[Needmoresleep]

Yes, you read it right!

At the end of their two foundation years (F1 & F2), young UK trained doctors are struggling to find work. They don’t want to go to Australia or NZ but for many this will be the only option. Seven or eight years study and work down the drain.
The UK supposedly has a shortage of doctors, so immigration rules have been amended to encourage overseas applicants. They then complete equally with those who are working in, or studied in the UK for both general entry level jobs (known informally as F3s) and for speciality training positions.

The average hard-working doctor does not stand much of a chance. Anecdotally even quite ordinary vacancies will attract hundreds if not thousands of on-line applications. The NHS does not keep statistics, but it appears that to keep numbers manageable many NHS Trusts will shut applications within a few hours. Tough for the junior doctor who is at work or sleeping off a night shift. The best from overseas will be very qualified with perhaps a decade of experience, and lots of additional bells and whistles, so it probably does not matter. They will score better so the chance of an interview for a young doctor who needs to build their own experience will be vanishingly low.

The expansion of medical school places, and allocation of some of these traditional entry level roles to Physician Associates is only exacerbating the problem.

Training positions are even more competitive. The Government has introduced a number of incentives to encourage applicants from overseas: exemptions from exams, guarantees on training and promises for British citizenship. Medical school places have been expanding without a parallel increase in training opportunities so bottlenecks would have happened anyway. In 2021 36% of new trainees were from medical schools outside the UK. In 2023 it was 41.5%. This trend is expected to be continuing, even accelerating.

A group of us have been on the higher education board since our DC were applying for medical school. They are now F2s spread across the country, working long hours for relatively little pay but enjoying the contribution they are making. None of them expect to get either a short term contract or a training position, so are applying to Australia or accepting that they will be reliant on zero hours NHS bank work covering staff absences.
As taxpayers we should be concerned that we are paying for medical schools, yet the NHS is not supporting their graduates into employment. We might also question why we are not giving priority to those already working in the NHS for the limited training slots. Doctors from elsewhere may be very good, but a significant proportion are then likely to leave to return home or to take up well paid private consultancy posts in either their home countries or in medical hubs like Dubai or Singapore.

Keir Starmer has said he will review sectors seeking labour from abroad to ensure that applications for the relevant visa routes, whether it’s the skilled worker route or the shortage occupation list will be balanced with expectations on training people here in our country. Wes Streeting seems to be refusing to answer questions on the topic. Whilst last week the BMA finally issued the following statement, albeit limited to training:
https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/bma-statement-on-speciality-training-application-bottlenecks

Any action will be too late for our DC. When they applied for medicine they did not realise that it would mean having to leave the country. The hope has to be that a way is found to retain those that follow and to allow our impressive young people to be able to return.

So according to you every other country in the world is using a racist policy ? Because we are the only country that does not prioritise our existing staff (of whatever colour or nationality).

This is not anything to do either racism or self interest - anything we do will be too late for our own children this year. It's to do with the future if the NHS. IMGs tend to return to their own countries so we will be v short of senior doctors in a few years But I doubt you'll see that.

Finally, finally.

Here is my draft letter to MPs. I am happy to have comments and may then set up a seperate AIBU, as in AIBU to ask you to write to your MP.

With these things it really is worth personalising. If a bunch of different letters end of on the desk of whoever is responsible for policy, they will decide there is more strength of feeling than if it is the same letter each time. That said it is often easier to follow an existing draft. My draft is light on stats. Others may want to add more.

I recognise that a couple of posters strongly disagree. I suggest rather than comment on the draft below they work up an alternative that can be used by those who feel that no action is needed.

So here goes:

Dear MP (check the right form of address. H/she might be a Rt Hon). You should give your address and it needs to be in the constituency.

I am hoping that you can offer me help on the issue of unemployment amongst doctors and other health care professionals (HCPs).

I would like you to share my concerns to your colleague The Rt Hon West Streeting, and also to your colleagues responsible for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland policy as these are areas which have traditionally struggled with Doctor recruitment and retention.

Perhaps a bit of background on your own/DCs circumstances

She now says she will have to look overseas for work, and that all but two of her placement group will do the same. I didn’t really believe her until posters on Mumsnet (we have exchanged notes with since our children were applying for medical school) confirmed that their children had also and reluctantly, accepted that there are no jobs for them, leaving them the choice of: to look for work abroad; to seek short notice shifts via NHS bank; or to leave the profession.

The same is being reported on several Reddit threads. Unfortunately the NHS do not keep data that might that would enable them to gauge the size of the problem, and instead assume young doctors are actively choosing to leave for Australia. So their solution is to hire even more replacements from overseas or to expand medical school places.

The problem seems to be an unintended consequence of the scrapping of the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) for various HCPs in 2021.

The impact is costly and damaging. Young doctors cost £250,000 each to train and will have built up debts of close to £100,000. There are also long term planning issues around losing those who should be the next generation of consultants and specialists. Not forgetting the moral questions around recruiting experienced medical staff from countries that cannot afford to let them go, especially if they then find themselves unemployed at the end of their contracts.

After their foundation years (F1 & F2) young doctors would choose. Either a specialist training post, or a year (known informally as an F3) working a short term entry level contract as a locum or a Clinical Teaching Fellow whilst getting the experience for and studying to apply for a training post.

My daughter was aiming for the latter. Her F1 and F2 rotations have been demanding so rather than juggle she is focusing first on gaining good experience and then taking a year to prepare for her training application.
Worldwide recruitment without protection for those already in the UK means that an industry has been created in preparing overseas doctors for UK vacancies. Though the NHS does not collect data on application numbers, anecdote suggests that entry level vacancies are being spammed by hundreds of applications, to the extent that entries are often closed within a few hours. Even if a UK based doctor is able to spot the vacancy whilst it is still open, they won’t have the help in polishing their applications that those going through agencies will have, or as much experience. The point for them is to gain experience. Applications are anonymised so they expect to lose out.It is not surprising they say it is not worth applying.

Throw in budget cuts and the introduction of Physician Associates into jobs previously held by newer doctors and the outlook is bleak. Our young doctors have not only lost a career path, they have lost their chances of employment.
Accessing specialist training posts is even more difficult. The UK has always trained doctors from overseas. A generation ago this was fine. Overseas recruits could be expected to make a lifetime contribution to the NHS or to return home to support their own evolving health services.

Things have changed. Private medical schools in places like Malaysia and India are pumping out large numbers of graduates, far too many to be absorbed into the lower rungs of their own health care systems. British specialist training enjoys a strong international reputation, and once at Consultant level there are a raft of well-paid opportunities either in the private health care system back home or in hubs like Dubai or Singapore. This makes a few years in the UK a good investment.

The numbers are illuminating. In 2023 there were 19,675 doctors (9273 from UK medical schools, 10,402 from medical schools elsewhere) sitting exams and making applications that would qualify them to apply for 12,680 training posts. In 2024 applications had risen to 25,469 (10,628 domestic graduates, 14,868 international) for the same number of places. In 2025 the figures had risen again. 33,108, of which 12,305 graduated from UK medical schools and 20,803 who graduated overseas, without any significant increase in the number of places.

The number of international applicants has doubled within two years.

The proportion of specialist training posts going to UK graduates has fallen from 65% in 2021 to 59% in 2023, and this year is expected to be below 50%. In 2012 only 5% of graduates from British medical schools failed to get into specialist training. By 2022 it was 48% and in 2023 it was 75%. Given the numbers applying continues to explode, in 2025 there will be even more young doctors who can neither get training places nor alternative F3 work. This has huge longer term implications for the NHS. If we are not training the people who can be expected to spend a career in the NHS, where will we find consultants of the future? Especially those willing to work in less popular regions.

This competition has created an arms race. Ever higher exam results are required, ever more academic extras: winning prizes and competitions, having papers published and so on. Already institutions overseas are offering lengthy and expensive courses that provide additional degrees and credentials to enhance an application. Much, much, harder for a busy F2 working in the NHS to do the same.

Every other country seems to protect their own doctors and other health care staff. We don’t. We should.

There is a lot of further information and data that I would be happy to share with you or your staff.

May I ask a, probably very naive, question? We have a shortage of doctors, so to help alleviate this, the number of places available at medical school was increased - helpful to our children wanting to study medicine. Who is responsible for that increase in places? Government?
But the number of doctor jobs was not increased in relation to the increase in medical school places - again, whose decision is this please? Is it Government, BMA? Presumably hospitals can’t increase the number of jobs available due to budgetary restrictions?

No.

There are plenty of jobs and a fair number of training places. However young doctors are having to compete for them with doctors from overseas. Without a Labour Market Resident Test there is no protection for doctors already in the country. The jobs they need to gain experience are therefore likely to go to stronger overseas candidates with experience. People are reporting hundreds of applicants for ordinary jobs. Almost 50% of speciality training jobs are going to overseas applicant who may well not stay once qualified. None of our DC seem optimistic that they will find anything here. Australia in contrast seems to want them.

Unless this is sorted so doctors in the UK have a good chance of finding employment here, there is no point in increasing the numbers of medical school places.

No one has made anything pesonal about the parents - I think it is the opposite!

In answer to the question about increased medical school places - the govt is responsible.

International Medical Graduates have been coming to the UK for training for over 70 yrs. They have been "taking" training places from British graduates for years - this is not new and is how the NHS has survived. Think Mr M Yacoub!

When junior rotas were a 1:2, 1:4 - not many doctors were needed to cover the work. 120hr weeks were the norm - every week not 1 in 10 or 12!

Some doctors quite rightly campaigned to get a reduction in the working hours - 72-80hrs was then the norm! However, that meant you needed more doctors to cover the work that 2 previously did - the numbers in medical school did not increase - the gap was filled by international medical graduates or what was then known as Type 2 trainees and yes they took some of the very rare training programme rotation places and some like British graduates emigrated, made it up on their own and muddled through.

Working hours reduced even further and average of 56 hrs per week became the norm. this meant where 2 doctors delivered 240 hrs per week on the wards, we now needed 5 doctors to do the same. The government then started looking at increasing places and new medical schools were born /old ones re opened but ti takes 5 yrs to grow a new doctor, so the gap was still plugged by international doctors who took some training places and other jobs.

There are still not enough training places in some specialiities for the popular subjects and thus competition to score a bit higher is born to get one of those places. The country does not need all specialists it needs alot of "grunt" doctors to fill rotas to make the hours more manageable whilst educating doctors also keeps the cogs turning of the NHS behemoth. The filler jobs are filled by Brit and IMG. There are hospitals in the UK where the majority of the medical staff are fantastic over seas doctors - not because they stole a job from a British graduate but because a British graduate did not apply to that hospital.

At the same time a lot of doctors moaned about appropriate tasks that did not need a medical degree to be done and those jobs got cut - given to physicians associates, AHPs etc.

Mums- I did ask my residents to day - 6 FY2s - 2 have interviews, 2 watiing as not out yet, 1 going to OZ and 1 has a trust job lined up as they want to focus on the exam and polishing the requirements before applying next year with a well loaded application.
The 2 with interviews - have portfolios that tick the boxes and then some - 1 did unpaid research and 1 went and did extra time in theatre unpaid to get more experience etc - their words - they were on a mission to get what they want, both have back up plans - all but the Oz one are stressed but isn't anyone in any profession stressed when it comes to interviews. This has nothing to do with being in London this is down to the individuals - Oz dr wants to be a rural Welsh GP.

It is hard, it always has been and always will be- just different stresses for different generations. Just try to listen with out quite so much sarcastic derision for others lived experiences

@Needmoresleep thank you. Will send tonight.

To clarify, it wasn't the current government but the Tories (when they were in government) that took decisions relating to the expansion of medical schools.

I can understand that you are standing up for IMGs. Honestly, no one is denying what a significant contribution IMGs have made to the NHS over the decades! I am sure we have all been treated by some excellent doctors.

However, much harm is done when there is a failure to address problems in society due to worries of it having 'racist undertones.' If you think about it, a denial of these current concerns could be a potential disservice to all those UK IMGs that provide excellent care in NHS settings if there is an increase in societal tension. Given how fragile the fabric of society is, perhaps you can agree that these issues though not directly relevant to you, are still of considerable importance to the doctors affected and therefore should be resolved?
**
Please can you answer these questions to explain how recruitment works? Since you have been 'struggling all the time' to attract UK based applicants, can you clarify what attempts you have made to flag this issue of unfilled jobs to your superiors involved in recruitment? If you did report, what position in the Trust did the person you reported the matter hold? Also, if you did report, what changes, if any, took place? Is there any data being recorded about these differences in job take up and any useful discussion that the recruitment system in place is failing time and time again to attract UK applicants? How long are vacancies open for?

With regards to the issues of self interests raised by @Wooleys , most people here, unless they have private medical cover, would be interested in what is happening in the NHS when patients can't get appointments and doctors can't get jobs. Also with it being the biggest employer, it is absolutely vital that issues of recruitment that could potentially impact it's existance should be resolved as urgently. Potential accusations of xenophobia and racism should not stop us from highlighting problems within it, especially since any failures and any inefficient use resources are inexcusable, given the current state of economy. It is important that UK based medics (including UK IMGs) are prioritised ahead of overseas medics for positions within the NHS.

I hope you are clear that the intention is not to worsen relations in our multicultural society but to improve the NHS so that it delivers an excellent standard of care to all patients whatever background they're from. Hope to get some insight into how you recruit based on your experience so please answer the questions if you can?

Automatically providing a training job to someone because they want one does not directly mean a better standard of care - they are two very different things. I wanted to be a neurologist, did not get a training place - had to re think look at other options and do you know what, they were right I would have been a shit neurologist. A little bt of adversity and challenge is not a bad thing.

I am not sure what your obsession with our lack of applicants is - we advertise, advert out for 3-4 weeks as a general rule, then close, short list, interview 6-8 for 2-4 jobs if we are lucky get 2-3 turn up - most do not bother to tell us they are not coming. We have essential criteria and one of those is UK hospital experience - that as you can imagine immediately narrows the field.

Our HR department are aware of everyone's struggles to fill rotas, bank shifts etc. None of the hospitals I am associated with is using overseas agencies to recruit.

The tone on this has changed - a little like the poor wording of the BMA and their stance on jobs for British graduates and insulted the international meical graduates. What is the difference between an overseas doctor and an international medical graduate - by definition all overseas doctors are international medical graduates.and all international medical graduates were overseas doctors - there is a very fine line we tread on this for it to be misinterpreted - as the BMA found out.

The expansion of medical schools started 20 yrs ago- after closing and merging many medical schools - Brighton, OEA, Hull, Exeter etc were created out of existing sub departments - it co incided with the reduction in hours and the EQTD having an effect. You are talking about the latest expansion.

The poster who is standing up for the IMGs is very similar to an “activist” who is on the fringes of a major Medical official group and is all over X spouting similar drivel to what they’re saying on here (racism, indirect discrimination blah blah). It’s just a lone voice trying to get profile. No one thinks the current situation is acceptable. The BMA & Streeting are going to agree to prioritise UK graduates (the BMA said it can’t continue). Whether it will be removed for 2026 applications let’s see. It’s going to revert to pre 2020. My guess would be after the results of this year are out as they are going to be shockingly low success rates for UK graduates.

Yes, I am talking about the latest expansion of medical school places which has been done without a regard for the bottlenecks further on. I wish you were as specific, when giving me answers to the questions relating to recruitment.

My interest came from my curiosity as to why you kept repeatedly denying the statistics highlighted by posters whose DCs are on this thread without any regard to their individual circumstances. Also if you recall, you didn't respond fully to what they asked despite numerous requests. When some suggested you might be a recruitment consultant, I thought you were best placed and well informed to give us some answers.

When you said you were a doctor, I wondered what relevance your account of your journey had. Surely that was decades ago and therefore irrelevant. Perhaps the failure to recognise an issue by some senior doctors is one of the reasons these DCs are in this situation.

Given that you say you're a doctor, I was surprised at your lack of empathy for their situation. Your denial that UK based medics (including IMGs) were indeed having problems securing posts made me wonder whether you were actually a recruitment consultant like others in this thread had suggested. You see, you never seemed that interested about their plight but just determined to advocate for the system as it stands, one that is lucrative for some and takes advantage of the weaknesses in the current points based immigration system. How is it possible that despite claiming to be a doctor you seem completely ignorant of some of the current issues affecting recruitment when it's very much in the news?

Now that you have finally replied to me, it's disappointing to learn that you haven't been able to grasp the issues fully. I am just wondering now what it might be like being your patient or your student. How much time do you give them before you shut them down without a full consideration of their individual circumstances?

I know you're busy so don't worry about replying. I doubt I will get a satisfactory answer.

onemorepiece "Now that you have finally replied to me, it's disappointing to learn that you haven't been able to grasp the issues fully. I am just wondering now what it might be like being your patient or your student. How much time do you give them before you shut them down without a full consideration of their individual circumstances?"

My thoughts too.

If anyone is following this issue on X you’ll see a parrot of these pro IMG points by an “activist” trying to get profile. Have a look at UK docs on reddit to see what current and former trainees think of the activist’s stance. It’s lone voice fighting a losing cause but the illogical points made only further highlight the need to move to priority for UK graduates. When this year’s figures are released they are going to be so embarrassing that a U turn is inevitable. l would suggest ignoring the pro IMGs posts.

Some of the responses on this thread are abysmally rude and puerile.

At the very least this draft letter to MPs should be proof read for SPaG. As it stands it's woefully long and rambling and shrieks narrow interest and entitlement. Any decent MP would chuck in it the waste bin and give it very little onward thought.

If doctors who've trained outside the UK are prepared to work here and to bring more experience and a better work ethic than UK graduates, then why should the latter be favoured?

A fair few UK medical school graduates just don't have the potential to climb the ladder so it's not appropriate that they be promoted over IMGs with more ability. That's their problem no-one else's. The entitlement here for cossetted DC is breathtaking. I'm not at all clear why the other poster advocating for the international graduates is now being addressed so churlishly and being compared to a terrorist organisation - it's so inappropriate and over the top.

Thanks @modelT

Its only been a couple of weeks since we realised that none of our bright and able DC were expecting to even get a job in the UK. Most, if not all, as recently as a couple of years ago expected to be able to specialise. Perhaps not in neurosurgery, and perhaps not on first attempt, but they sat comfortably within their year group and were well regarded by their peers and colleagues.

We have come a long way. There is a lot further to go, but if we keep spreading the word, it will fan out.

We contribute best by using our own contacts. MPs, people in our address books, and so on. People find the situation remarkable, but equally have so little faith in NHS management that they believe it. I assume modelT is a medic and assume that they and others have been voices crying out in the wilderness for a while. We help them by getting the word out to a broader audience.

We have something unique to add to the debate in that it appears that the NHS were making no effort to find out why F2s were not applying for either training or jobs, or if they were, only in a very limited way. Instead they saw the lack of engagement in a UK career path as a reason to redouble their efforts to recruit overseas. We know why they are not applying and we are telling people. . It is scary that good F2s all came to the same conclusion. The NHS needs to look closely at barriers to retention. They also need to find a way back for our DC, rather than simply let the backlog build up and expect patients to accept PAs or doctors unfamiliar with the NHS.

If we tell people now that things are dire, they will be under pressure to act quickly if the number of UK medical school graduates accessing training falls again. The situation is so bonkers that Keir and Wes simply cannot let it continue.

The Tories apparently have woken up to the impact of scrapping the RMLT, with Kemi slapping Priti down and saying they had made a mistake. It is the sort of issue that neither they nor Labour will want Farage to run with. Labour need to act quickly.

I am told that health correspondents from a couple of major broadsheets are monitoring the thread. Really good if people could post their own experiences of those unable to compete with the agent supported applicants from overseas. Whether doctors, nurses, midwives or other HCPs.

And an article in todays Guardian highlighting the overseas recruitment industry:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/feb/11/migrant-workers-in-uk-to-fill-care-roles-charged-up-to-20000-in-fees

IMGs probably won't face the same level of abuse, but some of them will be paying a lot in order to be prepped so they can outcompete our DC for available jobs and training.

Feedback, not just from Wooley, suggests my draft was too long. It was slightly deliberate as the story was so remarkable that I wanted to "prove" it. I will also produce a shorter draft.

I will then set up a seperate AIBU with both drafts, asking people to spread the word. Probably at the weekend.

In the meantime - more stories and experience please.

Presumably not stories of top quality IMGs? Or stories of UK grads who've successfully applied and secured training in their chosen highly competitive specialty?

Would love some stories of successful F2s this year. So far, for Paeds and IMT I've not heard of one UK graduate F2 getting in. Interviews only just coming out for others but cut off scores are higher yet again. Double number of applicants for many.

So yes, lovely stories OF THIS YEARS F2s (previous years are not relevant as things have changed).

Also be good to hear of clinical fellow jobs being successfully found. By this years F2s

l can never remember a time where there has been such a consensus amongst medics about any issue as there is about prioritisation of UK graduates. The issue has caused a real pulling together. There are some senior GMC/ BMA members who are now finding that young family medics and colleague’s children are facing unemployment despite having a good portfolio. This is particularly acute amongst ethnic groups who have a traditional focus on medicine for their offspring. Finally, Streeting and the BMA have started to wake up. It’s probably the easiest fix in a sea of NHS problems as it’s a policy issue with very little financial outlay required - prioritise UK graduates for training places.

With the relatively small number of training places and the loss of other entry level jobs (F3) to PAs or IMGs from overseas and the oversupply if NHS bank staff , the real problem is immediate jobs for those coming to the end of F2 or short term contor wanting to reenter the job market after a career break.

Children of doctors , from my observation, tended to do better because they understood the system and had access to more networks. But presumably this is not enough when faced with prep and support overseas applicants receive.

I wonder when we will see the first big article on this. We need to add as much pressure as we can. It is so unacceptable.

Nurses, midwives and other HCPs as well.

You are right the story is remarkable! It seems bizarre that there may be some doctors at the heart of recruitment that have not done enough to highlight the issues of UK applicants (UK graduates or UK foreign doctors) already here.

If so, could that be because they are just too busy to have noticed or could it be that they're disinterested in their younger colleagues because they feel they had it harder ( isn't empathy a quality they're meant to have though?) or more worryingly, could it be that they are part of the gravy train capitalising on the lack of legal safeguards due to the removal of the RLMT and weaknesses of the points based immigration system?

Let's not let some posters muddy the issue by deflecting scrutiny on that last point.

Serious questions need to be asked if the NHS budget is being used overseas to handhold applicants, that are still outside the UK. How do we measure merit of CREST forms that are being signed off overseas or if PLAB exemptions are provided? If there is a use of NHS money for these programmes and that was well intended and permitted, was there any monitoring of its effectiveness? If so, was there a disproportionate use of NHS resources in training IMGs still overseas, at the expense of applicants already here?
This is important especially since UK based IMGs and UK doctors don't get this type of support.

A pertinent question is whether there are doctors involved in this recruitment drive overseas that belong to organisations central to work force planning or hold influential positions within the the GMC or BMA past or present.

If so, are these the reasons why there has been a powerful resistance to the changes called from affected colleagues already here? How was a decision made to maintain PLAB (although MLA compliant) when there was initially a plan to make overseas applicants sit the same test (UKMLA) as UK medical graduates? Did anyone not think that the current online system (which may initially have been introduced to make it fairer) could have introduced bias in favour of overseas applicants who are wealthy? I have read that PLAB exams are held everyday. Why are they being held in large numbers at a time when there are issues of potential unemployment of UK IMGs and UK graduates?

Crucially, isn't there a possible conflict of interests issue if there are any influential doctors occupying posts within organisations eg GMC, BMA, etc past or present involved in work force planning and turbocharging recruitment drives overseas? If occupying influential positions, how and in what capacity (part of organisation) have they resisted the cries of doctors already here? If so, could it be that they have used their positions and existing legislation to further their self-interests?

The initial narrow focus of this thread has indeed evolved as we learn much trying to understand the issue of affected young doctors already in the country. A failure to address these issues due to pressures from those trying to shut this debate down would be a win for those that have exploited existing legislation to further their own self-interests. The continued reliance on recruiting from abroad while permitting the narrative that UK trained doctors leave for Australia, etc is indeed a matter that warrants further scrutiny. The failure in the investment of young people already in the UK makes no sense!

It's the double issue of not prioritising UK graduates, combined with the lack of F3 jobs, that is causing such an impossible situation.
Literally every other country prioritises their own graduates, which speaks volumes.
From what I've read on this thread, we don't just choose not to prioritise UK graduates, but we make the process easier and less rigorous for IMGs. Who knows if they are more skilled, or bring more real experience, if their claims are difficult to check. If we are filtering out skill but who has presented at a conference, or by an exam that isn't really fit for purpose for some specialties.

Where is the credit for working 6 jobs over 2 years in the UK's health service? Surely that should carry an amount of points.

Onemorepiece eh? is there a suspicion that those involved in training and education policies or in training selection are somehow benefiting financially from the influx of IMGs??? surely not? how could this go on underneath the noses of everyone involved and not be noticed? or is it that the situation is so bizarre and such an act of self harm by the authorities that you are scrambling for some logic? l think that this is a case of total incompetence and unintended consequences. l sense a U turn on the horizon.

Your dh would only be able to work in the US if he were willing to do another residency in the US, which is very difficult to do unless he also redid medical school in the US.

The US does not license doctors unless they have completed residency training in the US, and it is difficult bordering on impossible to get a residency place unless you have completed medical school here. We have foreign-born doctors (dh's cardiologist is top notch and he's originally from Egypt) but they almost all come on student visas, attend regular uni then apply and complete US medical school and then apply for US residency.

The system ensures that foreign-born doctors have been trained to American standards before they are allowed to practice on Americans. The UK should look into a similar system.

Short term. Open up PA positions to doctors. They need jobs and now, if we are to retain them.

How was a decision made to introduce and expand the numbers of PAs, without ensuring that the doctors they were replacing could access entry level jobs.

(And why on earth expand medical school places at a point where it was becoming clear that unemployment amongst doctors. This is not sophisticated workforce planning. Even some back of envelope stuff should have suggested problems.)

@LifeExperience actually America has just made it much easier to work there as a UK trained doctor. They want ours too