Homepage
1. FAQs
1. What is a clinical attachment?
A clinical attachment is an unpaid observership post aimed at newly qualified doctors or those who are new to the NHS system. It is especially beneficial for international medical graduates to gain an overview of the medical process and systems used in the NHS.
2. What can I do in an attachment?
Duties in an attachment can vary according to how regulated things are in that particular trust, however general things you can do include:
- Shadow junior doctors on wards, observe the daily tasks and chores
- Learn how to take patient histories, do physical examinations
- Learn how to document your findings, use the hospital IT systems
- Learn how to make discharge letters
- Observe consultants, partake in ward rounds and MDT meetings
- Perform basic clinical procedures (under supervision) – such as cannulations, venepuncture, NGT insertion and catheterisations
(NOTE: each trust will have their own regulations on this – please read them carefully, ensure you gain approval from your consultant and supervising doctor to do these and ensure you are supervised at all times) - Undertake a clinical audit – very useful for future job applications
- Partake in any teaching opportunities (if possible)
- Attend teaching sessions for the junior doctors of that department
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other duties and responsibilities you can undertake. A better idea would be to note down
your objectives for the attachment and once you start, discuss these with your supervising doctor in order to gain the most out of your placement.
3. How long is a clinical attachment?
The length of an attachment can vary based on each trust, however, they generally last between 2-6 weeks (with 4 weeks being the most common).
4. Do I have to pay for an attachment?
This depends on the trust and their policies. Some trusts offer attachments for free and others require a payment (the amount depends on each Trust). I would not recommend paying excessive amounts for an attachment, some trusts in London have been known to ask for £800 - £1000 for a 4-week placement. You can easily find other places that charge less or even nothing.
5. What are the eligibility criteria for an attachment?
This may vary on the trust and they will notify you regarding the particulars, however some common requirements include:
- Identity proof documents and proof of primary medical qualification
- Up-to-date medical CV
- IELTs/ OET certificate proving an appropriate level of English
- Criminal records check/ Police clearance form
- Occupational health clearance from the trust
- Appropriate Visa
- Satisfactory references (not always necessary – Trust dependent)
6. Which Trusts offer clinical attachments?
There are several Trusts all over the UK that offer clinical attachments. Some trusts require you to personally contact consultants and gain acceptance to
do an attachment, others have an established programme (detailed later).
7. Which speciality shall I do my clinical attachment in?
In short, any speciality is fine since the main aim is to gain experience of the NHS system and the processes here. However, if you have a specific preference, you can apply directly for those specialities. It may be more
beneficial to apply for attachments in departments where you can see a variety of different cases, for example: General Medicine, Acute Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and General Surgery.
8. Will the hospital provide accommodation?
Not necessarily. This is dependent on each trust and you will need to enquire about this personally. You may have to book accommodation yourself.
9. What are the benefits of a clinical attachment?
- Gaining valuable NHS experience
- Understanding the UK healthcare system and how it functions
- Understanding the role of a junior doctor in the NHS
- Practice and improve your clinical skills
- Possibility to undertake a clinical audit, other clinical duties
- Additional experience you can add to your medical CV
- Gaining a reference for future job applications
10. Is it necessary to do a clinical attachment to get a job?
No, it is not necessary or mandatory to do an attachment to get a job. It may however open opportunities for you, and you can directly enquire about upcoming vacancies in the trust when doing an attachment. Rest assured that it is absolutely possible to get a job without an attachment.
2. How to find Clinical Attachment?
There are a few different avenues you can explore to try and secure a clinical attachment. These are as follows:
1. Contact the HR of respective departments
Call or email the HR/ Junior Doctor Admin (JDA) team for the department you would like to do your attachment in. Contact details can often be found
on the respective Trust’s website.
2. Apply directly to trusts that are known to offer clinical attachment programs
Some Trusts/ hospitals with established clinical attachment programs:
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
- Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
- Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
- Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
- University Hospital Southampton
- Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- King’s College Hospital
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
3. Google
Although it may not be straightforward finding the right links, you can always try searching “clinical attachments in the UK” or “clinical attachment ” and this may also yield you some results.
4. Ask your contacts and colleagues
Having contacts is a huge bonus especially in the healthcare field. If you know of any relatives, family friends, colleagues, etc. working in the NHS, network with them and find out if they can help you in any way. Even if it is an email of a consultant, or a phone number for the HR team, explore all opportunities, as you only need that one person to say yes! If they’re not sure, ask them if they can point you in the right direction.
5. Email consultants
This is by far (in my opinion) one of the best ways to increase your chances of getting a reply and also being able to reach out to a large number of consultants. The more emails you send, the better your chances of someone replying and even accepting you for an attachment. Personally, this is the method that helped me gain an attachment too.
There are a few ways you can get consultant emails, these are as follows:
i) NHS jobs &
Trac jobs websites:
These are the sites used to search and apply for non-training trust grade positions within the NHS. If you haven’t done so already, I would recommend making an account on both websites (click the links), since
you will need it later if applying for non-training jobs.
Once you have created an account, you can search for jobs on these websites. Use the following links to understand how to use these sites to search for jobs (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3). Job adverts for different posts will have the email of the lead consultant or of the JDA/ medical staffing department. You can use these and email them directly requesting an attachment. This method may be a bit longer and more tedious but is
worth trying.
ii) Consultant directory:
Some trusts have dedicated consultant directories through which you can get in touch with either their secretaries or consultants themselves (via email). These directories can sometimes be found on trust websites or if you try and Google the trust name + consultant directory, you may get some results.
iii) Using trust email endings to email consultants:
This method is the one that was most effective in my experience. Here’s what to do:
• Go to the Trust’s website/ NHS jobs/ Trac Jobs to look for senior registrar or consultant vacancies in different departments
• Find an advert for a post in the speciality of your choosing (usually Acute, Emergency and General Medicine there’s at least one post advertised at SpR or consultant level)
• Download the Job Description (JD) of that post and read through it quickly, the JDs for consultant posts almost always have a list of consultants working in that department at that trust
• Copy these lists and save them somewhere so that you can start emailing each one
Important Tip
Usually the email addresses of NHS doctors follow a generic pattern of: firstname.surname@trust-email-ending
For example: if the consultant’s name is John Wick and he works at University Hospitals of Coventry, the email would be - john.wick@uhcw.nhs.uk
Just like this, you can find the names of all the consultants working in a specific department at a Trust (using the JD from a job advert) → then find the email-ending for that trust → use the consultant list and apply the aforementioned tip to email individual consultants!
This method will allow you to email a much larger proportion of consultants and it is more likely to get you a response, and all you need is one person to say yes!
3. How to Email Consultants for a Clinical Attachment?
After you have cured a list of consultants to start emailing, it is equally as important to make sure the email you send is professional. I would recommend typing a draft email and saving it, to use as a template when emailing lots of consultants. This will make the process more efficient and you will be able to email a number of consultants in a short period of time.
Here are a few tips of how to structure your email
- Use a subject such as: Clinical attachment in
- Address them as Dr. +
- Give a brief outline (1-2 sentence) on why you are emailing them
- Paragraph 1 (Introduction): give an overview of who you are (name, grade, where you completed your medical degree, level of experience, if you hold full GMC registration and a license to practice)
- Paragraph 2 (Motivation): mention your reasons for wanting to complete an attachment, why you are interested in this field particularly and what you hope to gain from this attachment
- Attach a pdf version of your up-to-date medical CV
- Thank them for their time and consideration, sign the email with your title and full name
Here is a template for what an email might look like, requesting an attachment in Acute Medicine
Dear Dr. <Consultant’s surname>,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you with regards to an opportunity for a clinical attachment in the department of at .
My name is Dr. . I am a junior doctor and have completed my medical education from . As part of my primary medical qualification, I have completed a 1-year medical internship, where I rotated within several different specialities. This internship is approved by the GMC as the equivalent of Foundation Year 1. Furthermore, I recently gained full GMC registration with a license to practice.
Acute Medicine is a speciality that has always fascinated me, as a medical student and as a junior doctor. I relish the opportunity of gaining exposure to a variety of different clinical cases and learning in a fast-paced environment. Moreover, the ability to have a significant impact on a patient’s health and welfare by providing the appropriate care is something that appeals to me greatly.
Undertaking my clinical attachment at this trust would be an incredible opportunity for me to learn the intricacies of clinical diagnosis and treatment from leading physicians within the country such as yourself. It will enable me to become familiar with working
in the NHS environment, helping broaden my knowledge on the functioning of the organisation and strengthening my position as a potential candidate for a FY2 level job.
I would be very grateful for the opportunity to undertake a clinical attachment under your supervision at . Please kindly find attached to this email a copy of my CV. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Dr.
Note: If you haven’t done so already, I would highly recommend updating/ making an up-to-date medical CV. Not only will this be useful when sending emails for attachments, but also help when sending job applications later on. Links for help on medical CV making: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5.
4. Making the most of your Clinical Attachment
The following are some tips that might be useful when completing your attachment to ensure you gain the most out of it:
1. Make a list of your objectives and what you hope to achieve
You can discuss these with your supervisor/ doctor whom you will shadow. This will not only allow you to achieve the most out of your placement but also show a proactive approach.
2. Learn the system and the job
- Shadow doctors of a similar grade to what you will be (FY1s, FY2s, CTs)
- Take part in ward rounds, MDTs and any educational opportunities such as teaching sessions offered to the junior doctors
- Learn what the role is of a junior doctor, observe the daily jobs
- Familiarise yourself with patient clerking, examinations and procedures
- Once you feel comfortable, gain approval and ask to do clerking, examinations and basic clinical procedures yourself (with supervision)
- Learn how to use the IT systems, requesting investigations and scans
- Practice making discharge letters and doing phone referrals
- Practice presenting patients in rounds/ meetings
- Observe patient consultations, how to break bad news and how to deal with difficult patients
- Take time to understand how the department works, all the way from patient admission, inpatient procedures and discharge planning
3. Ask questions, be inquisitive and proactive
- Show a genuine interest in the role, ask questions from your seniors whenever you are not sure or want clarification and explanations
- Volunteer to do jobs, this will not only show your willingness to be part of the team but also show you are actively there to learn
4. Note down everything you do, learn and observe
- Keep a personal notebook with you in which you note each day everything you did, interesting cases you saw, procedures you observed and completed → this will help immensely when updating your CV
- Optional – keep a logbook of procedures you have witnessed and any procedures you have completed under supervision
5. Try to participate in a variety of different shifts
- Ask the HR/ staffing department or the consultants if you can shadow a variety of different shifts such as day on-calls, weekends, nights and twilight shifts. This will give you a more broad experience of the rota.
6. Try to do an audit
- Ask the junior doctors you shadow if you can do a joint audit with one of them (pursue this early on) → this can help add some substance to your portfolio later when applying for jobs
7. Network as much as possible
- Talk to the junior doctors, consultants and the HR department, tell them your intentions of wanting to work in as a junior doctor in that trust
- Enquire about upcoming vacancies in the department by asking consultants, other colleagues and the staffing team for that department
- Try to get the contacts of other JDAs (junior doctor admins) within the trust → you can then send them emails about your interest in applying for any upcoming vacancies and send your medical CV
8. Throughout your attachment
- Introduce yourself to the members of staff
- Let other members of staff (e.g. nurses) know your role and how you’d like to help in any way possible
- Always make sure any procedures you do are approved by your consultant/ senior and you are supervised at all times when doing these
- Always be polite and respectful, smile and show enthusiasm
9. At the end of your attachment
- Personally thank the consultant who accepted you for the attachment and send a follow up email regarding the same, and enquire about any upcoming vacancies (show your interest that you’d like to be considered)
- Visit the JDA/ HR office and ask them about any vacancies, leave a copy of CV with them and email them as a follow-up as well
- Perhaps bring in a card and some chocolates as a thank you for the staff in the department
in the NHS can help you connect with a consultant, so ultimately, you’ll need the contact information of a consultant. If you’re wondering how to connect with a consultant when you don’t know anyone personally, you can obtain their email through these sources: 🛜
This may involve interactions with their secretary, the hospital’s financial department, the clinical lead, and ultimately the HR department. The specific documents required can vary from one hospital to another.
