Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) runs a programme that enables its graduates to gain Full Registration with the UK General Medical Council (GMC) after completing a year of House Officer training at one of the 8 approved hospitals in Malaysia. This programme recognises the House Officer training as being equivalent to Foundation Year 1 (F1) in UK.
I underwent House Officer training at Hospital Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom, Kluang and I gained GMC Full Registration through the programme. Here, I would like to share some guidance for the programme.
The requirements for getting GMC Full Registration through the programme:
- You must be a graduate of the NUMed MBBS course.
- You must undergo House Officer training at one of the 8 hospitals approved by GMC:
(i) University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur
(ii) Hospital Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom (HEBHK), Kluang
(iii) Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI), Johor Bahru
(iv) Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA), Johor Bahru
(v) Penang General Hospital
(vi) Hospital Sibu
(vii) Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching
(viii) Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu
- You must have Provisional Registration with GMC by the time you start working as a House Officer.
- You must complete 3 postings in your House Officer training successfully and keep the complete logbooks for the 3 postings.
- You must complete the Additional Procedures Form.
- You must complete the Your School Your Say (YSYS) survey and the Equality and Diversity (E&D) module.
- You must complete 3 pieces of reflective accounts. A sample of the reflective accounts is available here: https://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2023/07/numed-arcp-reflections-sample.html
- You must keep in contact with NUMed and update NUMed regarding your progress in House Officer training when necessary.
The procedure for getting GMC Full Registration:
1. After you get a place for House Officer training at one of the approved hospitals, apply for Provisional Registration with GMC as soon as possible. You have to apply through GMC Online and pay GBP52 to GMC.
2. Email NUMed to inform that you would like to register for the programme. NUMed will send you the application form, Additional Procedures Form and Template for Reflections.
3. Complete the application form and pay RM2000 to NUMed. This should be done within 3 months of starting your House Officer training.
4. Within the first year of your House Officer training, complete the Additional Procedures Form and ensure that it is properly signed and stamped. You also have to write 3 pieces of reflective accounts based on the Template for Reflections.
5. At some point during your House Officer training, NUMed will send you the links for Your School Your Say (YSYS) survey and Equality and Diversity (E&D) module. Complete them accordingly.
6. If you have any extensions or unanticipated absence in your House Officer training, you need to inform NUMed about that promptly.
7. You have to complete 3 postings in House Officer training successfully. Ensure that you have complete logbooks that are properly signed and stamped for the 3 postings.
8. Once you have completed all of the above, you have to inform NUMed about that.
9. You will undergo the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP). NUMed will inform you the date of the ARCP.
10. Once you are successful in the ARCP, you will be granted a Certificate of Experience which enables you to apply for Full Registration with GMC.
11. To apply for GMC Full Registration, you have to go to GMC Online and pay GBP166 to GMC.
12. GMC will send you a Postgraduate Professional Experience (PPE) form which you have to complete. You also have to apply for a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) through MeRITS, which requires you to pay RM500.
13. Once MMC approves your COGS and sends it to GMC, you will be granted GMC Full Registration.
The benefits of GMC Full Registration:
- Right after you gained GMC Full Registration, you are eligible to apply for the Foundation Year 2 (F2) Stand-alone programme in UK. After completing F2, you may apply for specialty training programmes in UK.
- There are also various locum posts in UK you can apply for with GMC Full Registration.
- If you choose to complete the 2nd year of House Officer training in Malaysia after gaining GMC Full Registration, you may apply for specialty training programmes in UK directly.
- Some other countries recognise GMC Full Registration, so you may be able to practise Medicine in those countries.
- Unlike GMC Provisional Registration, GMC Full Registration doesn't expire and is valid indefinitely.
Other information:
- In addition to this programme, NUMed graduates have the option of joining the 2-year UK Foundation Programme (UKFP).
- NUMed graduates are exempted from taking the PLAB, IELTS and OET when applying for Provisional Registration or Full Registration with GMC.
- House Officer training in Malaysia is only open to Malaysian citizens. Therefore, non-Malaysian citizens are unable to join the programme.
- If you do not fulfill every single one of the requirements for the programme (e.g. you are not a NUMed graduate or you are doing House Officer training at a hospital not approved by GMC), you are not eligible to join it.
- If you are not eligible for the programme, it may still be possible for you to apply for GMC Full Registration provided that you have completed a year of House Officer training at any hospital. In that case, you need to apply to GMC directly and they can take into consideration your work experience as a House Officer. However, the process is quite complicated and there is no guarantee of success.
- Other hospitals may be added to the list of hospitals approved by GMC in the future, but no information on that is available currently.
For more information on this programme, go to these pages:
You can read about my experience with this programme here:
Hi. Can you please recommend me some books to revise for housemanship during the waiting period and also during the housemanship?
ReplyDeleteHi...I am a final year med student. Do you have any idea how long the waiting period to get housemanship will be? Previously I heard that it was about 1 year. But last year, my senior who graduated in June got her placement in September. Is the waiting period shorter now?
ReplyDeleteSince last year, the waiting period for housemanship in Malaysia has significantly reduced. It's now about 3 to 4 months.
Deletethank you
DeleteHi, is it true that NUMed graduates are able to get a place in FY1&2 foundation training (I wonder if there could be any hidden obstacles)? I’m worried due to the current situation for Malaysian Doctors and I wasn’t doing SPM (I did IGCSE) so I can’t apply for housemanship unless I go for the SPM examinations…
ReplyDeleteAs NUMed uses the same curriculum and assessments as Newcastle University UK, NUMed graduates have always been exempted from taking the PLAB, IELTS and OET exams when applying for FY1.
DeleteBefore 2018, FY1 places were reserved for UK and EU citizens only, making it impossible for NUMed graduates to get a place. In 2018 and 2019, non-UK non-EU citizens were allowed to apply for FY1, but places had to be offered to UK and EU citizens first, which meant that it was still difficult for NUMed graduates to get a place.
This changed in 2020 after UK faced a shortage of doctors due to Brexit. Since 2020, all FY1 applicants regardless of nationality are considered on equal grounds. Therefore, NUMed graduates now have a very good chance of getting a place for FY1.
However, nobody can say for sure that the regulations won't change again in the future. Since 2021, the number of FY1 applicants each year has been very high, due to great increase in applications from non-UK non-EU citizens. This has resulted in many applicants, including UK citizens, being placed on the reserve list.
So far, they have been able to offer all applicants on the reserve list a place for FY1, but this may not be the case in the coming years if the number of applicants continues to increase. There have been calls in the UK to reintroduce restrictions for non-EU non-UK citizens applying for FY1, but no decisions on that has been made for now.
Anyone who gets into FY1 is guaranteed a place for FY2 as long as they complete FY1 successfully.
Currently, Malaysian citizens without SPM can get into housemanship in Malaysia. However, they must have a minimum grade C for the Bahasa Melayu subject in SPM by the time they complete the 2 years of housemanship, otherwise they will not be allowed to proceed to working as a Medical Officer.
DeleteI see, thanks for the reply! I wonder if they look at how good are your performances when they accept FY1 applicants or it’s just sheer luck?
DeleteAll FY1 applicants have to take the Situational Judgement Test (SJT). The SJT is an aptitude test, it does not test your medical knowledge or skills. Since 2021, the SJT is held online. The higher your SJT score, the better is your chance of getting a place for FY1 and getting your preferred choice of hospital.
DeleteHi, thank you for sharing the details of this programme! I would like to ask if our final year exam scores is included as a requirement for the application of UKFP?
ReplyDeleteAnd for the application of houseman training in one of the 8 approved hospitals by GMC, so can we choose by ourselves which hospital we want? And if we unsuccessfully get one of the 8 approved hospitals, does this mean we will not be able to apply for provisional registration with GMC?
Thank you!
You don't need to have your final year exam results at the time of application for UKFP. Final year exam scores are also not included in the calculation of the decile ranking for UKFP. You just have to ensure that you successfully graduate before the start date of UKFP.
DeleteYou can choose by yourself any 1 of the 8 GMC-approved hospitals through the e-Housemen system. However, there is high competition for places at some hospitals and not every hospital may have vacancies in each e-Housemen intake. If you don't get your preferred hospital, you may choose to defer to the next e-Housemen intake. There are 6 intakes each year.
If you don't work in 1 of the 8 GMC-approved hospitals, you cannot join the programme by NUMed that leads to GMC full registration as described in this blog post. However, it's still possible to apply for GMC full registration in an alternate way. In this case, you have to apply to GMC directly and not through NUMed, and GMC can take into consideration your work experience of at least 1 year in any hospital. However, the process is quite complicated and there's no guarantee of success.
Hey, how can international students apply for registration with the GMC through NUMED?
ReplyDeleteInternational students are not eligible to join House Officer training in Malaysia. Therefore, they cannot get full registration with the GMC through the programme described above.
DeleteInternational students who graduate from NUMed can still apply for the UK Foundation Programme (UKFP). They will get full registration with the GMC upon successful completion of 1st year of the UKFP.
I'm from India im planning to join at numed but i read the policies stating < i cannot practice housemanship in Malaysia> is there any hospitals in india where i can do my housemanship? is the mbbs degreee at numed valid here in India ?and also what should i do to get into uk for post graduation ?what is gmc ukfp etc ?
Deletevery sorry for asking too many questions i really need ur help here ,as this is all new for me and for me u r seeming to know everything on this .so,can u plz reply
sorry for spamming but i really need to know this ,awaiting ur fast reply
DeleteAs far as I know, India does recognise the NUMed MBBS degree. However, I would strongly recommend that you check with the Medical Council of India to confirm that you can get a housemanship post in India after graduating from NUMed.
DeleteThe UK Foundation Programme (UKFP) is the housemanship programme in UK. Currently, NUMed graduates regardless of nationality can apply for the UKFP and all eligible applicants are offered a place. However, no one can guarantee this won't change in the future.
then what should i do if india doesnt recognize it and i cant do housemanship there , is there some other way?
Deletehow to get into nhs after studying in numed or while studying in numed ,sorry for asking too many questions im confused and scared thats why ,it would be so helpful if u anwser these questions
Deleteis numed malaysian degree valid in uk should i sit for plab ?and is numed a good school compared to colleges in india and how does it par with newcastle uk
DeleteIf things remain as it is now, you can apply for the UK Foundation Programme (UKFP) in July of the year before you graduate, and you will get a place for UKFP as long as you properly submit your application and you successfully graduate with the MBBS degree.
DeleteNUMed students are not required to take the PLAB since the NUMed MBBS degree is the same as the Newcastle University UK MBBS degree.
Hello! im a Medical Graduate from SEGi University. Do you know if its possible for me to also apply for the GMC full registration despite not being a NuMed graduate?
ReplyDeleteAs you are not a NUMed graduate, you cannot apply for GMC full registration through the ARCP House Officer programme as described above. However, it's still possible for you to apply for GMC full registration directly with GMC instead of through NUMed.
DeleteThere are 2 important requirements to apply for GMC full registration, your degree and your housemanship experience.
Since the SEGi University MBBS degree is not a UK or EU degree, you have to sit for the PLAB. There are 2 parts, PLAB 1 is a written exam while PLAB 2 is a clinical exam. PLAB is quite difficult and expensive, and you have to fly to UK to take PLAB 2.
GMC does not accept the SEGi University MBBS degree as evidence of English language proficiency, so you will have to take the IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET) within the 2 years before you apply for GMC full registration. You have to get a minimum of Band 7.5 for each component in the IELTS or a minimum score of 400 for each component in the OET.
You must have completed at least 1 year of housemanship at any hospital. You have to demonstrate that your housemanship is equivalent to Foundation Year 1 (F1) in UK in terms of skills and competencies gained. There are all sorts of evidence you need to provide to GMC, some of which may be difficult to get. The process is quite complicated and there is no guarantee of success.
I believe the process may be a bit easier if you do your housemanship at 1 of the hospitals approved for the ARCP House Officer programme as described above, even though you cannot join the ARCP House Officer programme. This is because at the very least, GMC has already assessed the housemanship training at those hospitals and considers them acceptable for the purpose of granting GMC full registration to NUMed graduates. However, this is just my speculation and there's no official information. In any case, you will still have to provide the required evidence to GMC.
From my understanding, I can do my housemanship in the approved hospital for one year then apply for GMC full registration. I can choose to apply for FY2 or do my second year of housemanship in Malaysia, then can apply for specialty in the UK. I'm wondering if I can apply for MMC registration after my second year then still apply for specialty in the UK. But, from my research, if I did the 2 years housemanship in malaysia, I would be able to apply for MMC full registration OR when I'm registered with a foreign medical council that is recognised (from what I know, GMC is recognised?) OR is a specialist. My question is, if I did my first year at approved hospitals then apply for GMC, do I still need to do my second year for qualifying to apply for full MMC registration (as I already have full GMC registration) to be able to work in Malaysia? And, if I am a specialist applying for MMC full registration, do I still need to do the 2 years compulsory service? Can I work in private hospitals in Malaysia without MMC full registration? (Only GMC)
ReplyDelete1. To be eligible for MMC full registration, you must have completed 2 years of housemanship, either in Malaysia or in another country where the internship training is considered by KKM as being equivalent to that in Malaysia (for example, UK). If you have GMC full registration but you haven't completed 2 years of housemanship, you are still not eligible for MMC full registration. If you complete FY2 in UK after getting GMC full registration, you are eligible to apply for MMC full registration.
Delete2. If you complete your specialty training overseas and then return to Malaysia as a recognised specialist, you are still required to complete the compulsory service with KKM. However, you can try applying for exemption from compulsory service and it will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
3. It's compulsory to have MMC full registration to work as a doctor anywhere in Malaysia, whether it's public or private. Having GMC full registration doesn't exempt you from that requirement in any way.
hello , can u plz tell about Manipal medical college Malaysia im plannin to join there but I'm unsure whether it is a good college for mbbs can u plz tell me about its infrastructure ,facilities ,faculties and the post life after coming out after 5 yrs how will u rank it is it good? is it worth going there as an international student
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I do not have information about Manipal University College Malaysia.
Deletecan u plz reply fast sry for forcing im in the middle of the admission process for this college and suddenly im scared
ReplyDeletehope u understand, thanks
is the hospital with good patient flow how will be the experience and studying culture
ReplyDeleteawaiting ur soon reply, thank u
ReplyDelete