UK Doctor Specialties for Internationally-Qualified Doctors
Pick a high-demand NHS specialty to see why the UK needs more doctors in it, how to join the GMC Specialist Register through it, and how NHS pay works β organised around the honest fact that basic pay is set by grade, not by specialty.
As of July 2026, any doctor who wants to practise a specialty in the UK must hold registration with a licence to practise from the General Medical Council (GMC), and β for a substantive consultant post β be on the GMC Specialist Register (or, for GPs, the GP Register). The two routes onto those registers are a UK training programme (CCT) or the Portfolio Pathway β the route the GMC introduced in late 2023 to replace CESR β for doctors whose experience was gained outside a UK programme. This guide covers the NHS specialties with the largest documented workforce shortfalls.
Choose a specialty
Each guide cites the relevant Royal College or Faculty workforce data, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how pay works for that specialty.
Psychiatry
~1 in 5
A plain-English guide to becoming a psychiatrist in the UK as an internationally-qualified doctor β why demand is high, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay works.
Read the Psychiatry guide βEmergency Medicine
Well below standard
A clear guide to a UK emergency-medicine career for internationally-qualified doctors β the demand, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay and on-call work.
Read the Emergency medicine guide βClinical Radiology
~29%
A guide to a UK clinical-radiology career for internationally-qualified doctors β the striking demand, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay works.
Read the Clinical radiology guide βAnaesthetics
~1,400
A guide to a UK anaesthetics career for internationally-qualified doctors β the workforce gap, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay and on-call work.
Read the Anaesthetics guide βGeneral Practice
Falling FTE GPs
A guide to becoming a UK GP as an internationally-qualified doctor β the demand, the GMC GP Register route, and how NHS and partnership pay work.
Read the General practice (GP) guide βHistopathology
~3%
A guide to a UK histopathology career for internationally-qualified doctors β the acute demand, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay works.
Read the Histopathology guide βGeriatric Medicine
Unfilled posts
A guide to a UK geriatric-medicine career for internationally-qualified doctors β the demand from an ageing population, the GMC specialist-registration route, and how NHS pay works.
Read the Geriatric medicine guide βHow NHS doctor pay actually works
NHS basic pay is set by grade, not by specialty β so a consultant psychiatrist, radiologist and anaesthetist share the same basic pay scale. Figures below are for England, 2024/25. Indicative β pay is set annually and differs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
| Grade | Typical role | Basic pay (England) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Year 1 (FY1) | Newly-qualified resident (formerly "junior") doctor, first year | Β£36,616 | The starting basic salary for a first-year foundation doctor in England. Additional pay applies for out-of-hours and on-call work. |
| Specialty registrar (StR) | Doctor in higher specialty training | Β£55,329 β Β£70,425 | Basic pay across the specialty-training nodal points (2016 contract, England). On-call and out-of-hours supplements are added on top. |
| Specialty doctor (SAS) | Non-training career-grade doctor | Β£59,175 β Β£95,400 | The 2021 specialty-doctor contract range. A common substantive route for internationally-qualified doctors before or instead of the specialist register. |
| Consultant | Senior doctor on the GMC Specialist Register | Β£105,504 β Β£139,882 | The England consultant pay scale β the same range for every hospital specialty, because basic pay is grade-based, not specialty-based. Requires specialist registration. |
Source: NHS Employers / BMA medical pay scales (England). Indicative snapshot for the 2024/25 pay year β confirm current figures with NHS Employers (nhsemployers.org) and the BMA (bma.org.uk).
What this guide is β and is not
This is
- Free, general educational information about UK specialist registration.
- Organised for doctors who are independently exploring their options.
- A pointer to the official sources β the GMC (gmc-uk.org), the Royal Colleges and gov.uk β for the current, authoritative detail.
This is not
- A recruitment service. GeraClinic does not place doctors into NHS jobs and is not a recruitment agency.
- Active recruitment from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2023) β we provide information only.
- Legal or immigration advice, or a guarantee of registration, a job or a visa.
Individuals may always apply directly, of their own accord, to the GMC and to any advertised vacancy. For your country-of-training route (PLAB, English evidence, visa), see the UK Doctor Pathway guide, which covers permitted source corridors only.
Frequently asked questions
Does NHS doctor pay differ by specialty?+
No. Basic NHS pay for a doctor is set by grade β foundation doctor, specialty registrar, specialty doctor (SAS), specialist grade, and consultant β and is the same across hospital specialties. What varies by specialty is training-post competition, international-recruitment demand, on-call intensity (which can attract extra contractual pay), and private or locum earning potential.
What is the Portfolio Pathway, and how does it relate to CESR?+
The Portfolio Pathway is the route the General Medical Council (GMC) introduced in late 2023 to replace CESR (the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration). It lets a doctor whose training and experience were gained outside a UK training programme join the GMC Specialist Register by evidencing equivalence to a UK-trained specialist, assessed against the relevant Royal College or Faculty curriculum.
Which specialties have the highest demand for international doctors?+
Specialties with the largest documented UK workforce shortfalls β including psychiatry, emergency medicine, clinical radiology, anaesthetics, general practice, histopathology and geriatric medicine β are among those that most rely on internationally-qualified doctors. Each specialty page on this site cites the relevant Royal College or Faculty workforce data.
Is GeraClinic recruiting doctors for the NHS?+
No. GeraClinic is a telemedicine platform operated by Gera Systems Ltd, not a recruitment agency. These pages are free educational information for doctors who independently want to understand the UK specialist-registration pathway. Gera does not place doctors into NHS jobs and does not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2023).
Related guides
UK Doctor Pathway β by where you qualified
Choose your GMC registration route by the country where you trained β PLAB, English evidence, and the visa overview, corridor by corridor.
NHS Pay Scales
See the full NHS medical and Agenda for Change pay scales, with sources, across grades and nations.
GeraClinic β For Doctors
Keep practising while you plan your move: see verified remote telemedicine work for licensed doctors.
Important β please read
This is general information to help internationally-qualified doctors understand how UK specialist registration works for this specialty. It is not recruitment, immigration or legal advice. Gera is not a recruitment agency: we do not place doctors into NHS jobs, do not match candidates to specific vacancies, and do not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2023). You apply on your own account, directly to the GMC and to any employer. Registration routes, workforce figures, fees and pay scales change β always confirm the current position with the General Medical Council (gmc-uk.org), the relevant Royal College or Faculty, UK Visas and Immigration (gov.uk) and NHS Employers (nhsemployers.org).
Keep practising while you plan your move
GeraClinic is a remote telemedicine platform for licensed doctors. Wherever you are registered today, you can see patients online, set your own hours and fees, and keep earning while you work through your UK specialist registration. It is free to apply.