Clinical Placements NHS and Clyde

Overview

Welcome to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Here at NHS Greater Glasgow And Clyde (NHSGGC), we are able to offer a range of programmes that permit medical and dental professionals to undertake clinical placements under the supervision of our award‑winning staff.

A clinical attachment is a period when a medical/dental graduate or doctor/dentist is attached to a clinical unit within NHSGGC, to gain an overview of clinical processes and systems in a hospital setting.

NHSGGC offers two types of clinical attachment to registered, prospective, or aspiring medical and dental professionals:

• Observership
• Clinical Access

An observership allows practising medical graduates to observe medical or dental practice within a clinical setting. Observers are not permitted to provide clinical advice or make clinical decisions. Observers must be supervised at all times by a named consultant. An observership can last between one week and six months.

International medical graduates seeking an observership must have undertaken the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB 2) examination or have a confirmed upcoming examination date.

A medical clinical access agreement permits doctors to gain postgraduate experience or provide/gain experience of certain procedures within NHSGGC. Under the agreement, the responsibility for the doctor will lie with a named consultant. A clinical access agreement can last between one week and six months. Doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).

Medical professionals who are keen to explore a clinical attachment should refer to the NHSGGC Clinical Attachment Guidance documents.

A dental clinical access agreement permits dentists to gain postgraduate experience or provide/gain experience of certain procedures within NHSGGC. Under the agreement, the responsibility for the dentist will lie with a named consultant. A clinical access agreement can last between one week and six months. Dentists must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC), or meet all of the following criteria (as set out within S.37(2) and (2A) of the Dentists Act 1984):

• recognized by a dental authority as a student of dentistry;
• dentistry is undertaken as part of a dental training course (or examination) approved by that dental authority;
• dentistry is undertaken under the direct personal supervision of a GDC‑registered dentist.

Dental professionals who are keen to explore a clinical attachment should refer to the NHSGGC Clinical Attachment Guidance documents.

NHSGGC can support a limited number of medical or dental elective placements to medical/dental students in their penultimate or final year of study. This initiative is commonly referred to as ‘visiting electives’ or ‘elective placement’ within academia.

This placement enables visiting students to pursue an area of their own interest, and to gain experience of clinical practice in the UK healthcare system with the same rights, duties and responsibilities as our own medical students.

These placements usually last between 4 and 12 weeks. Due to immigration rules, medical and dental elective placements cannot last more than 6 months.

NHSGGC can offer a clinical attachment or medical and dental elective placement within a range of specialties. Visit the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde website to explore the services provided by the organisation.

Medical and dental professionals must refrain from contacting NHSGGC clinicians directly to seek clinical placement opportunities.

All medical and dental professionals who wish to apply for a clinical placement within NHSGGC must submit an application via the NHS Scotland Recruitment website. As part of your application you will be asked to select the type of clinical placement you are seeking, and which specialty you wish to be considered for. You can only apply for one type of clinical placement and can only be considered for a single specialty.

The details you supply within your application will be circulated to senior…