Whether you are applying to a specialty in secondary care, to general practice or to an academic post, make sure you have all the information you need when moving to the next stage of your medical training.

Where to start

NHS Health Careers

NHS Health Careers offers a step by step guide through each stage of the specialty recruitment process. It has resources to guide you through: decision making, preparing your CV, organising your portfolio, tips on presenting your evidence and much more

NHS Health Careers

Specialty training recruitment

Changes to Medical Specialty Training recruitment for 2027 

Applications to 2027 special recruitment will need to be fully registered with the General Medical Council at point of application and the limit of five applications for Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACF) and Round 1 which was introduced in 2026 remains unchanged.

Prioritisation for Specialty Recruitment | Medical Hub

Round 1 of 2027 ACF recruitment prioritisation will apply at offer stage only and for all other specialty recruitment processes apart from ST1 Public Health, prioritisation will apply at the following stages:

• Offer of an interview.

• Offer of a place on a specialty training programme.

Overview of specialty training | Medical Hub - eligibility

Overview of specialty training | Medical Hub – Recruitment timelines for 2027.

ACF applications opened on 10 am Thursday 1 October and close at 4pm Thursday 29 October 2026.

Round 1 applications open at 10am 22 October and close at 4pm on 19 November 2026.

Applying to general practice

If you are applying to general practice, The General Practice National Recruitment Office (GPNRO) coordinates recruitment to general practice for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Applications will go through the Oriel system as with other specialties and the process for applying, is different from other specialty applications.

If you are an academic GP, training differs in each UK country. For more information see the GPNRO website on academic posts.

View relevant dates for applying to general practice.