Postgraduate psychiatry training in Scotland

Why choose Scotland for postgraduate medical training?

Your journey to becoming a skilled and compassionate psychiatrist will be dynamic and rewarding. 

NHS Scotland offers the ideal opportunity to nurture your talents and ambitions. We are dedicated to empowering future psychiatrists like you to thrive and achieve their full potential!

Lead employer for resident doctors

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the lead employer for resident doctors across Scotland. Instead of changing employers every time you rotate to a different NHS Scotland Board or hospital, NES acts as the single employing organisation.

This simplifies employment requirements, including:

• contracts
• payroll
• terms and conditions

This arrangement provides a standardised approach to employment for doctors in training throughout NHS Scotland.

Find out more about lead employer arrangements.

Opportunities for international medical graduates

Are you an international medical graduate (IMG) looking to complete your psychiatry training in Scotland?

In the UK, IMGs represent around 43% of doctors on the GMC register. Many come to Scotland for specialist training, to gain experience, and to work in the NHS. They bring diverse skills and global clinical experience, strengthening our healthcare teams and improving patient outcomes.

Discover how you can thrive in an NHS Scotland career.

Build a successful and rewarding psychiatry career with us

Relocating to a new country can involve making lots of significant decisions. We want you to build a successful and rewarding psychiatry career with us. That's why we provide a range of resources and advice to help you with the following:

• appropriate registration with the General Medical Council (GMC)
• applying for a training post
• applying for a SAS or consultant job

There’s also pastoral support to help you settle in.

Learn more about the Scotland Deanery and support for IMGs.

A clear training pathway

A well-defined pathway provides a clear structure for your postgraduate training. There are 3 stages:

• Foundation programme
• Core psychiatry training
• Higher psychiatry training

Throughout your training, you’ll receive regular feedback and support from experienced supervisors. You’ll record your learning, achievements, reflections, and evidence of meeting the required competencies in your online Turas Professional Portfolio.

Annual Review of Competence Progression

Your Turas Professional Portfolio will also help you to prepare for your Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP). An ARCP panel will review your portfolio to:

• Assess your progress in the training programme.
• Confirm you’ve met the core competencies of the national curriculum.

Learn more about the Turas Professional Portfolio.

Understanding your end goal: The Certificate of Completion of Training

The Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) is awarded by the General Medical Council (GMC). It confirms you have successfully completed all the requirements of the GMC-approved psychiatry training programme.

Achieving the CCT allows you to be entered onto the GMC specialist register. You’ll then be able to apply for substantive consultant psychiatry posts.

Discover more about the CCT.