Definitions of terms we use
The following terms are used in our criteria for doctors’ acceptable overseas qualifications and they should be read with definitions below.
Acceptable overseas qualifications
Overseas primary medical qualifications (PMQs) we have determined are acceptable to apply for registration, or to take the Professional and Linguistics Assessments Board (PLAB) test. Relevant European qualifications are acceptable and do not need to be assessed against our criteria.
Allopathic/Clinical medicine
The practice of traditional or conventional Western medicine. Used to contrast conventional medicine with, for example, alternative/complementary medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine or homeopathy.
Awarding body
The institution, usually a university, which confers/awards a qualification. This is sometimes your medical school/college but not always.
Clinical rotations/placements
Clinical rotations/placements (also known as clerkships internationally) are undertaken as part of a PMQ (or a pre-graduate internship where this is part of a PMQ). They are usually in person and provide practical experience in various medical specialties (including medicine and surgery), to allow students to apply theoretical knowledge and skills in a clinical setting, under supervision.
Clock hours
A full 60 minutes in duration, as opposed to ‘academic’ ‘credit’ or ‘class’ hours, which may be shorter than this.
Course credits
The number of credits an institution requires its students to pass each academic year, to be eligible to graduate with an MBBS or equivalent qualification.
In-person learning
Teaching or learning where a student is physically present in the same location as their tutors or supervisors at the institution (or affiliated campus or clinical setting) and able to interact with them.
Institution
Medical schools and colleges, awarding bodies, universities.
Institutions we do not accept qualifications from
The list of institutions we do not currently accept qualifications from to take PLAB or apply for registration. The list may specify the qualifications we do not accept from the institution (such as from a certain time period). We only place an institution on this list after carrying out an investigation and concluding it is the most appropriate action.
Institutions we may accept qualifications from
The list of institutions we may accept qualifications from to take PLAB or apply for registration, and which require an assessment to establish whether the individual’s qualification is acceptable, on a case-by-case basis. We may add an institution to this list if, for example, we know it delivers some courses that satisfy our criteria and others that don’t.
MBBS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. An undergraduate degree in medicine. Referred to differently by different institutions, for example, an MB ChB or final medical diploma (MD). The title of a PMQ must match the title in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDMS).
Medical school/college
An institution that runs a course of study in basic medical education leading to award of a PMQ, that allows the holder to register to practise as a medical doctor. It is sometimes the awarding body or it may be an affiliated medical school/college, which teaches a course under the authority of a university that awards the qualification.
Minimum number of hours that must be completed to graduate
Any limit the institution sets on the number of hours of its PMQ course a student can miss (for example due to illness) and graduate with the PMQ.
Online and virtual learning
Digital-based learning completed online, using video or audio. Online learning may include webinars, video lectures, and other online material. Virtual learning is usually more interactive and may use virtual reality and other immersive technologies. This is not the same as ‘in-person learning’.
Pre-graduate internship
Sometimes called an undergraduate internship. A period of formal supervised medical training in an approved setting, completed immediately before gaining a PMQ, usually at least 12 months continuous practice. Postgraduate internships completed after graduation do not count towards a PMQ.
Primary medical qualification (PMQ)
A medical qualification awarded following a course of study, providing a basic grounding in the core areas of medicine and physiology, required to begin practising as a doctor.
Professional and Linguistics Assessments Board (PLAB) test
The PLAB test is a two-part exam we run that helps us assess whether doctors who qualified overseas have the right knowledge and skills to practise in the UK. It’s set at the level of a doctor starting year two of the Foundation Programme in the UK.
Programme of study
The programme an individual completed, that led to award of their PMQ (it may include, for example, study at more than one institution if the student transferred during their studies).
Qualification
In our criteria for doctors’ acceptable overseas qualifications this refers to an overseas PMQ.
Relevant European qualification
A PMQ may be a ‘relevant European qualification’ based on a list in the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive, as on 31 December 2020. Recognised European qualifications are considered AOQs, as defined in the Medical Act 1983 (as amended).
Self study time
This includes revision, studying for exams, or any study or learning (wherever undertaken), where the scope is defined by the student rather than the institution’s curriculum. We do not include this in total clock hours of a PMQ programme of study as there is no robust way it can be objectively substantiated.
Standard duration of the qualification/course
The standard length of an institution’s course of study leading to a PMQ, that a student would take to complete it.
World Directory of Medical Schools and sponsor notes
The World Directory of Medical Schools (WDMS) is a global list of medical schools, developed and maintained by the World Federation for Medical Education and FAIMER. Organisations (such as a country’s medical council) can sponsor the WDMS by providing funding and input into its development and decision making. They may add a ‘sponsor note’ to a listing with information about whether they ‘accept’ the institution’s qualification(s).
