The Medical Training Initiative: Providing a placement for a doctor
Important information for hospitals
Overview of MTI
The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) enables international medical graduates (IMGs) to spend two years
training in general obstetrics and gynaecology in the UK within an NHS hospital. The RCOG is one of many
Medical Royal Colleges which facilitates the placement of these doctors. It is also a sponsor for GMC
registration for doctors who come through the scheme.
Placements offered by hospitals to the RCOG for IMGs must be fully paid. They should also provide access to
training in both obstetrics and gynaecology to enable IMGs to progress towards and pass their Part 2 MRCOG
whilst on the scheme.
Doctor applications and assessment
The RCOG takes the assessment of IMG applications seriously. Doctors must fulfil strict criteria which is set by
the RCOG and GMC. Full details of these criteria are available on the RCOG MTI page of the website. The
RCOG has a responsibility to hospitals to vet and assess applications rigorously so that only applications from
doctors with an exceptionally high standard of skill, knowledge and English language are put forward to
hospitals to then interview (remotely) on the assumption that the placement will then be offered to them.
Providing a placement at your hospital
Hospitals who wish to provide a two-year placement for MTI doctors must complete all forms within this
document. Hospitals must commit fully when submitting a request for an MTI doctor and must not withdraw an
offer particularly at a late stage of the process of getting a doctor to the UK. This has severe implications upon
MTI doctors who will have made life-changing decisions in order to be ready to move themselves and their
families to the UK.
New for 2016: Charges to hospitals
For the College to ensure a quality service to both hospitals and doctors, in 2016, it will begin implementing
a charge to hospitals for placing a doctor in post. This charge is being introduced to enable the RCOG to
maintain a high standard of assessment, induction and ongoing mentorship/support in view of the rising
number of doctors coming on to the scheme.
The charge to hospitals per placement offered is £1500 plus VAT. This charge reflects the costs required to
cover the RCOG’s administrative and assessment activity and the two-day free induction course provided to
new MTI doctors. This charge falls into the middle range of charges levied by all other Medical Royal Colleges.
The charge also includes a small contingency for those doctors left financially inconvenienced when
a placement has been withdrawn.
All hospitals are required to submit payment to the RCOG immediately after submitting the forms within this
document and on receipt of an invoice from the College. Hospitals who withdraw their placement from the
scheme will not be reimbursed.
Charges are per placement per doctor so hospitals who offer more than one placement will be charged per
placement offered.
To ensure both the hospital and RCOG are clear on commitments to the MTI scheme, both are required to
sign the Memorandum of Understanding on page 3 outlining each party’s responsibilities.
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Instructions to hospitals
1. Please read fully the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on page 3 outlining hospitals’
responsibilities to the MTI scheme and sign and date.
2. Complete the MTI placement form on pages 5-6.
3. Complete the MTI confirmation of charging form on page 7 and attach it to your hospital purchase
order.
4. Prepare a full job description and job timetable for the placement.
5. Submit all of these documents to RCOG MTI via email or by post:
Email – MTI@rcog.org.uk
Post – MTI
Global Health Unit
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
27, Sussex Place
Regent’s Park
London
NW1 4RG
Please note that only fully completed applications will be taken forward for matching with doctors.
The MTI assessment panel and initial matching takes place in late February. Hospitals are strongly
recommended to submit their completed applications by this time.
For more information and enquiries, please email the MTI lead at the RCOG directly on the email address
above.
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Memorandum of Understanding between:
Party 1 - The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London
And
Party 2 - Name of hospital (please complete)_____________________________________________________
Party responsibilities
The RCOG
 To administer applications from international doctors to the MTI scheme and ensuring all candidates
put forward to be assessed for placement opportunities meet the specified criteria.
 To ensure all eligible applications are rigorously assessed by members of the RCOG MTI Assessment
Panel
 To endeavour to ensure hospitals interested in offering a placement to the scheme can access
comprehensive information on how to do this.
 To send eligible candidate applications to hospitals to review where appropriate.
 To support the doctor and hospital through the process of candidates’ GMC registration and visa
applications as far as reasonably possible.
 To endeavour to arrange two meetings between the doctor and the MTI Officer at the RCOG during
their placement to offer support and guidance.
 To make hospitals aware of appropriate educational guidance for MTI doctor placements.
 To support hospitals and doctors when appropriate and fully within the capacity and expertise of the
RCOG’s remit as an MTI scheme provider should an issue arise with their placement or fitness to
practice.
The hospital
 To fully commit to and honour the placement provided to a doctor from the MTI scheme.
 To ensure the placement provides general training in obstetrics and gynaecology at mid-grade, prePart 2 MRCOG level.
 To fully complete all documents within this pack and send to the MTI Lead at the RCOG.
 To return promptly to the RCOG, any required paperwork for the RCOG to be able to apply for the
Tier 5 Certificate of Sponsorship from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
 To carry out all necessary background employment checks for the doctor which are not part of the
RCOG MTI administrative process.
 To encourage and facilitate the doctor to be able to attend the two-day MTI induction event at the
RCOG in mid-September.
 To provide the MTI doctor with all training opportunities, study leave time and budget allowance, and
access to educational activities similar to those provided to all other trainees.
 To inform the RCOG should any problems arise during the doctor’s placement.
 To work supportively with the doctor and RCOG if need be to address issues which occur during the
doctor’s placement.
Signed on behalf of the RCOG
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr Sherif Abdel-Fattah FRCOG, RCOG MTI Officer
Date____________________________________________________________________________________
Signed on behalf of __________________________________________________________________hospital
Name:__________________________________________________________________________________
Date____________________________________________________________________________________
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MTI Placement Form
The MTI Placement Form asks for basic details on the post. Please note that the College is only able to
sponsor for clinical training, and cannot sponsor doctors to provide service cover only, to undertake research
based posts or the clinical element of a postgraduate degree. Nor can we sponsor for Staff Grade posts.
Please either type or complete this form in BLOCK CAPITALS.
Name of the Trust/Hospital Address:
Details of the Consultant
Name and title of the UK Consultant:
Position Held (College Tutor/Clinical Director/Clinical Lead/Educational Supervisor/Other pl specify):
Tel No:
Fax No:
Email Address:
Name and Position of Trust HR contact:
Tel No:
Fax No:
Email Address: :
General Manager/Assistant Manager
Name of the person responsible for payment:
Tel No:
Fax No:
Email Address:
Details of the Post
Title of the post offered -
Grade of the post
Proposed start date ( please be as precise as
possible ) -
Start and end dates of the 24 month post:
Planned duration at ST2 level (this should ideally be a maximum
of 3 months):
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Name of Deanery responsible for the hospital –
To confirm that this post will not adversely affect training/experience of UK trainees
Yes/No
Name and position of Deanery officer who will support this (e.g. TPD/HoS/Assoc Dean/Dean/other)
To confirm that the post is not just covering service/rota gaps and appropriate training will be offered
Yes/No
Does the post hold approval by the Postgraduate Dean?
Yes/No
If it does not you will need to request ad personam approval, or confirmation of support for the post from the
Deanery if this is a Trust based post.
Supporting letter will need to be enclosed.
Is the post paid or unpaid?
(Please circle as appropriate)
Paid/Unpaid
If paid, confirmation that salary will be paid appropriate to respective NHS band
Yes/No
If unpaid, how will the doctor be funded? (e.g. Overseas govt/university/institution) please circle
Salary per month -
……………………… £
There will be appropriate study leave funding from the Trust for the doctor
Confirmation of paid acclimatisation period (by Trust) before IMG takes up on call responsibility
Please note that acclimatisation period of more than two weeks should be paid.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Duration – 2 weeks/1 month/2 months (pl circle as appropriate)
I confirm that the details given in the form are accurate, and I permit the College to hold the information given on
this form for the purposes of the College in accordance with the Data Protection Act (no information will be passed to
external bodies).
Signed: ...............................................................................................Date: .............................................
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MTI confirmation of charging form
To be completed by the most appropriate member of staff at the hospital
Name of hospital:_____________________________________________________________________
Name of supervising consultant(s) for the post(s)
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Name of HR contact:___________________________________________________________________
I confirm that the above-named hospital offers (insert number) ________ placement(s) for a doctor/doctors
applying to the MTI scheme. I confirm that the total amount owed to the RCOG for the placement of these
doctors is _____________________________________(not including VAT charged at 20%).
I confirm that I have understood that should the above-mentioned hospital withdraw the position for a
doctor/doctors, the full amount is non-refundable.
I confirm that the purchase order is attached to this documentation in order that the RCOG may issue the
above-mentioned hospital with an invoice for the total amount.
Signed_________________________________________________________________________________
Printed name___________________________________________________________________________
Date__________________________________________________________________________________
Position at the hospital___________________________________________________________________
Email_________________________________________________________________________________
Telephone_____________________________________________________________________________
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