Recruitment

National Recruitment  2024

The ICM National Recruitment Office manages specialty recruitment to ICM training posts. The Faculty provides support to this process. The numbers of available posts in each specialty is controlled nationally by NHS England and the devolved nations' NHS administrations. 

Information on how to apply, the national recruitment timeline, and applicant guidance and other useful information can be found on the ICMNRO website.

 

2024 Recruitment Timeline

DATE EVENT
Wednesday 15 November 2023 Advertisement appears on NHS Jobs, BMJ and Oriel
10am Thursday 16 November to 4pm Thursday 7 December 2023 Application window
Thursday 18th January 2024 - Wednesday 31 January 2024 Self Assessment Document Upload window
Tuesday 20 February 2024 Self Assessment verification scores released 
Tuesday 20 February 2024 - Friday 23 February 2024 Self Assessment verification review window
Wednesday 13 March 2024 Invite to Interview & Applicant Declaration sent
Friday 15 March 2024 (4pm) Deadline for Interview Booking & Applicant Declaration return
Tuesday 9 April 2024 - Friday 12 April 2024 Online Interview Window 
Thursday 18 April 2024 Offers Released 
Tuesday 23 April 2024 (1pm) Hold Deadline
Wednesday 24 April 2024 (4pm) Upgrade Deadline

 

Key Updates - Here are some of the key updates that applicants and trainers should be aware of with regards to ICM national recruitment.

Eligibility to apply for ICM ST3 training is complex. ICM specialty training can be entered following initial training in anaesthesia, medicine or emergency medicine at core/basic/stage 1 training level (the level of training required depends on when the training was completed and whether the doctor intends to pursue ICM training with a partner specialty (dual/triple CCT).

The applicant must present evidence of the training undertaken AND hold the relevant specialty’s College exam as stipulated in the ICM National Recruitment Office (ICMNRO) eligibility documentation.

If a potential applicant is applying via the medicine route and wishes to provide the JRCPTB (Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board) Alternative Certificate, then FICM and ICMNRO are aware that Internal Medicine Training (IMT) has a curriculum for which all components must be met for the certificate to be issued. The following guidance is in the 2024 ICM ST3 applicant guidance and has been circulated to FICM Tutors, Regional Advisors and other consultants involved in ICM training who may be approached by potential applicants for advice and signatures.

If all the components of the JRCPTB Alternative Certificate cannot be met, then it is possible that the CESR route may be more suitable for a candidate to pursue. There have been some applicants recently who have had their offer of a CCT training withdrawn when they have presented a signed alternative certificate but are then not able to present evidence of having completed any relevant medical placements.

IMPORTANT: Applicants who are submitting an Alternative Certificate to Enter Group 2 Higher Physician Specialty Training must make sure they have evidence of 24 months experience in medical specialties (of which at least 12 months must include the care of acute medical in-patients). Experience in certain acute care common stem specialties can be counted towards the 24 months in some circumstances. These posts are all defined by the JRCPTB.

The alternative certificate MUST be signed by an appropriately qualified consultant – as defined by Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board. The signatory must have worked in the NHS within 5 years of the certificate being signed and have a good knowledge of the IMT Stage 1 curriculum.

The form is lengthy and detailed. Importantly, the signatory must attest to seeing evidence commensurate with all the IMT curriculum’s expected outcomes with 2 years medical specialty experience.

If an applicant, or potential Consultant signatory, has any doubt then the Regional Advisor in ICM should be consulted.

Since our previous update in May 2021, we have been working hard behind the scenes with the General Medical Council, Health Education England, the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (COPMeD), Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection (MDRS), the four Statutory Education Bodies, multiple Specialty Postgraduate Lead Deans and Specialty Advisory Committee Chairs and our respective Training Committees, and we are delighted to announce that we have confirmed support and approval to proceed with the ICM/medical Triple CCT programmes. This vital step safeguards the future of doctors being able to train in Intensive Care Medicine and a defined group of physician specialties. FICM considers physician colleagues to be essential to the work and future of Intensive Care Medicine.

As Internal Medicine Training (IMT) will be fully incorporated into the associated Group 1 medical specialty from August 2022, trainees that successfully complete the triple CCT training programme will gain a CCT in Intensive Care Medicine, Internal Medicine and their chosen medical specialty. The medical specialties that are currently supported by this programme are Acute Internal Medicine, Renal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine.

For the full news story please click here 

For those wishing to join the ICM programme, you will be beginning your ST3 ICM journey against the 2021 curriculum. For doctors training in Internal Medicine (IM) Anaesthetics and those on the Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) Training Programme, it will be possible to apply for ST3 ICM during your second year of IM/Anaesthetics and third year of ACCS, as long as you are on track to successfully complete the year and have the suitable examinations to suit the eligibility criteria in the person specification.

However, it leaves you with an important decision to make, as not completing your core training programme in full will have consequences on your future career plans should you ever want to go back into those specialties.

If you are sure that the single ICM CCT is the pathway for you, then applying whilst in the second year of your core training programme (third year for ACCS) may be something you wish to consider. However, if you have any aspirations to dual/triple train in the future with anaesthetics, acute internal medicine, respiratory medicine or renal medicine then completing the full 3 years of the core programme (4 years for ACCS) may be the best course of action.

We would encourage you to speak to your local ICM trainers to find out more about training in your region, if you have any specific queries please contact us. 

*Information updated 15 January 2020*

Anaesthetic CCT Curriculum 2020 - transition plans and how this will affect dual training with ICM 

The RCoA have relased an FAQ on this on their website, it states:

"Trainees who accept an ICM NTN starting in August 2020, and who wish to subsequently apply to dual train with anaesthetics, will need to access ‘top-up’ posts to gain the additional training required to complete Stage 1 of the new curriculum, in order to be eligible to apply for ST4 (Stage 2) posts in anaesthetics. We expect that these posts will take the form of Out Of Programme (OOP) posts after commencement of the ICM programme.

The RCoA will continue to work with stakeholders including the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, HEE and its equivalents in the devolved nations, Postgraduate Deans, the GMC and the BMA to try to ensure that these posts offer fair terms and conditions (including pay) for those who need to access them.

We will release further information as soon as agreement has been reached around the exact nature of these ‘top-up’ posts and how they will accessed.

It is also worth noting that dual training programmes can only be developed once all of the corresponding new curricula have received GMC approval."

If you have specific questions regarding this you can contact the RCoA training team via email at 2020cct@rcoa.ac.uk

Recruitment Upper Limit for 2016

For previous recruitment rounds there was no upper limit on when a trainee could enter a second specialty within training. This changed in 2016. 

From the 2016 recruitment round onwards (interviews are held in spring), trainees will not be able to apply for Dual CCTs if they are beyond the end of ST5 in their initial specialty of appointment at the time of interview for ICM. 

The August 2015 intake was therefore the last opportunity for trainees above ST5 in a partner specialty to apply for a Dual CCTs programme with ICM. 

Please see the Winter 2015 issue of Critical Eye for an article discussing the upper limit (pg.21).

ICM Recruitment

Discover ICM *Updated version coming soon*

This resource aims to give a quick and easy introduction to a career in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM), providing direct information and links to useful online resources. 

National Recruitment for ICM will be for doctors starting in ST3 on the new curriculum.  Health Education West Midlands (HEWM) run the ICM National Recruitment Office on behalf of the Faculty.  Each year they develop a HEWM website which contains all of the information you need on applying and submitting your application.  

ICM has no core programme and accepts applicants from the Acute Care Common Stem, Core Anaesthetics Training and Core Medicine Training.  Guidance on getting equivalence for core programmes is available here.

Recruitment is the responsibility of the Careers, Recruitment & Workforce Committee (FICMCRW), which is chaired by Dr Jack Parry-Jones. The CRW features representation from the Lead Dean, The Royal College of Anaesthetists, The Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board. Dr Parry-Jones leads on matters relating to recruitment (assessment, training and quality assurance). James Goodwin, Natalie Bell and Susan Hall lead on recruitment for the Faculty Secretariat. 

The HEWM Team can be contacted at icmnro@hee.nhs.uk  

Interested in a career in ICM?
Read some stories of those working in the specialty.