Paragona’s new course for future UK GPs kicks off

A group of 10 doctors from Spain, Greece, Romania, Lithuania, Portugal and Poland will begin a 12-week course in Piaseczno, Poland, on January 7. The course is a part of the International GP Recruitment programme (IGPR) organized by Paragona, the Swedish-Polish company specializing in recruitment of medical professionals. Paragona has teamed up with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to recruit 100 GPs in East Midlands throughout 2019 and 2020.

The course aims at elevating doctors’ English to the C1 (intermediate) level as well as giving them necessary knowledge about working as a GP in the UK. Following the intensive training in Piaseczno, the GPs will travel to the UK and work under supervision while also training to take a C2 (advanced) English exam, as well as complete the GP Induction and Refresher (I&R) Scheme. After that they will begin to work independently.

European doctors are attracted to Paragona’s IGPR programme because it offers them a guided way to becoming an officially recognized GP in the UK complete with language training and practice in NHS’ treatment standards.

For doctors themselves, taking part in the IGPR programme is an opportunity to give their career a fresh start in a new country.

While completing the IGPR programme in the UK, GPs make ￡70,000-￡73,000 per year (gross). Upon completion of the I&R Scheme, the annual gross salary goes up to ￡80,000 and then to ￡90,000 after another year.