Medical Training Initiative

Mr Alan P Johnson, President of ENT UK

The Medical Training Initiative – a new opportunity for overseas doctors to train in the UK. Alan Johnson, President of ENT UK, and Tristram Lesser, Chair of the SAC in Otolaryngology explain how it will work. The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) is a new scheme akin to the former Overseas Doctors Training Scheme. Details of the scheme and how it can be accessed are detailed below, and the Department of Health website also contains details of the scheme.

The stated purpose of the scheme is to allow doctors from developing countries to come and work in the UK for between one and two years, in recognised training posts with appropriate supervision and teaching, acquire useful and appropriate skills and knowledge and then return to their countries of origin to practice in their chosen fields.

Doctors coming to the UK on this scheme are required to return to their sponsoring countries when they have completed their period of training here. With the support of the SAC, Deaneries and Training Programme directors, ENT UK will be the sponsoring authority in the UK.

As we know, there are many among us who have devoted time and effort, often
at their own expense, to travel, work, teach and support the efforts of ENT surgeons and other health carers in poorer countries. It was very encouraging that so many of you came to our first meeting of ‘ENT UK World Links’ held on March 5th, 2010. MTI was one of several ways in which we felt we could contribute to supporting ENT in developing countries and developing links between the UK and these countries.

Mr Tristram L Lesser, Consultant Skull Base and Neuro-otologist, Chairman of the ORLHNS SAC

At present we are training more ENT surgeons than we need for the number of consultant posts being advertised. This makes the scheme timely because with the reduction in National Training Numbers, some places on our regional training programmes will become vacant. The MTI scheme would allow us to fill these posts with appropriate overseas
trainees who can slot into our training schemes. Hopefully this will be mutually beneficial for the overseas trainees, our departments and our patients. It will also allow us to increase
our links with developing countries. Bearing this in mind, please visit the Department of Health website and consider if you would like to have such a trainee in your department!

"There are many among us who have devoted time and effort, often at their own expense, to travel,work, teach and support the efforts of ENT surgeons and other health carers in poorer countries"

Further information from:
Department of Health (UK) website

Download MTI (Medical Training Initiative) Scheme information document (file size: 162 KB)

Click here to contact us