The IMT recruitment process

The Physician Specialty Recruitment Office (PSRO) coordinates the recruitment process to the Internal Medicine Training (IMT) programme, which replaced Core Medical Training from August 2019.

The PSRO started life in 2008 based at the Royal College of Physicians and transferred to Health Education England, working on behalf of the four nations, in November 2018. Since July 2023, the PSRO is based within NHS England. 

The team initially coordinated recruitment to core medical training (the programme that IMT is replacing) in England, with the process since growing to incorporate all four UK nations and acute care common stem (acute medicine). The team also coordinates recruitment to 24 specialties and the subspecialty of stroke medicine at ST3 level.

The process was intended to be fair, effective, strong, robust, transparent and efficient.

We believe that this has been achieved and the process receives very positive feedback each year from all stakeholders – candidates, clinicians and the four nations.

We work in partnership with the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK (Federation), to provide governance and intend to continue working to deliver a high-quality and robust recruitment process in future years, providing an excellent service to all stakeholders and helping to improve patient care by ensuring the standards required of new trainees.

The Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB), as part of the Federation, improves patient care by setting and maintaining standards for the highest quality of physician training in the UK on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians of London, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

This is achieved through excellence in curriculum design and implementation, and the recruitment and certification of trainees, while supporting the GMC in quality management. The JRCPTB aim to provide excellent service and support to stakeholders and aspire to the highest standards in physician training.

For more information please visit the Federation website.