FROM A-LEVELS OR AN OVERSEAS DEGREE TO PRACTISING IN THE UKSearch the guide
SPECIALTY GUIDES

Specialties, exams and where they lead

How to enter each specialty, how long training takes, which Royal College exams you must pass, and how to sub-specialise. Details change: each guide links to the College.

COMMUNITY · 3 years (ST1–ST3)

General Practice

First-contact, whole-person care in the community, caring for patients of all ages and conditions over many years.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
MEDICINE · IMT 3 years, then ST4–ST7 (total 7–8 years)

Medicine and medical specialties

Diagnosing and managing complex illness in adults, with many organ-based specialties such as cardiology, gastroenterology and respiratory medicine.

Exams: 4 · Read the guide →
SURGERY · Core 2 years, then ST3–ST8 (about 8 years in total)

Surgery

Operative treatment of disease and injury, from emergency general surgery to highly specialised elective procedures.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
ACUTE · About 7 years (CT1–CT3 then ST4–ST7)

Anaesthetics and intensive care

Perioperative care, pain medicine and the resuscitation and support of critically ill patients.

Exams: 2 · Read the guide →
ACUTE · About 6 years

Emergency medicine

Assessing and stabilising undifferentiated patients, from minor injury to major trauma and resuscitation.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
CHILDREN · About 8 years (ST1–ST8)

Paediatrics and child health

Care of babies, children and young people, in hospitals and the community.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
WOMEN’S HEALTH · About 7 years (ST1–ST7)

Obstetrics and gynaecology

Pregnancy, childbirth and gynaecological disease, medical and surgical.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
MENTAL HEALTH · 6 years (Core CT1–CT3, then ST4–ST6)

Psychiatry

Diagnosing and treating mental illness, combining medical, psychological and social approaches.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
DIAGNOSTICS · 5 years (ST1–ST5)

Clinical radiology

Interpreting imaging and performing image-guided procedures.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
SURGERY · 7 years (ST1–ST7)

Ophthalmology

Medical and surgical care of eye disease, including cataract, retina, glaucoma and paediatric eye care.

Exams: 3 · Read the guide →
DIAGNOSTICS · About 5 years

Pathology (histopathology, microbiology, haematology)

Laboratory diagnosis that underpins most clinical decisions, including cancer diagnosis.

Exams: 2 · Read the guide →
POPULATION · About 5 years

Public health medicine

Improving population health through policy, epidemiology and health protection.

Exams: 2 · Read the guide →
CANCER · About 5–6 years

Clinical oncology

Radiotherapy and systemic therapy for cancer, with close work alongside surgeons and physicians.

Exams: 2 · Read the guide →

Not sure how the pieces fit? Read Is there a UK “board exam”?