Stroke medicine

There are three main pathways open to training in stroke medicine. 

1. Applying from any group 1 specialty. Trainees already appointed to a group 1 specialty may apply to undertake stroke training, which typically requires 6 - 12 months of out-of-programme training time. Interviews for the 12-month national training posts are normally held in January. If you are considering applying, discuss it early with the Training Programme Director (TPD) for your parent specialty and with your local Stroke TPD. 
2. Single accreditation in General Internal Medicine (GIM) and Stroke Medicine. The Stroke Medicine/GIM programme began as a pilot in 2024 and is not fully established. Programmes may be available in regions across the UK and comprise two years of GIM and one year of stroke medicine. Successful applicants can, therefore, go from completing Internal Medicine (IM) Stage 1 to the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in a further three years. The years can be completed in any order. 
3. Neurology. All trainees on the Neurology programme now complete stroke training as part of their core curriculum and gain a sub-specialty CCT in Stroke Medicine. 

Information on recruitment to these programmes is available in tabs in this area of the website which relate to the application and interview process. Applicants must have completed IM Stage 1 or have an alternative cerificate by the time of interview. 

If you are looking to apply to a sub-specialty programme in stroke medicine, this area of the website contains detailed information to help you. This covers recruitment to UK training programmes in England and Wales; there is a separate programme, available to any UK trainee, for those who wish to train in stroke medicine in Scotland.

Stroke medicine training is only to current higher physician specialty trainees who meet the eligibility criteria.

Upon satisfactory completion of training in stroke medicine and the parent specialty, trainees will be eligible to have the sub-specialty included in their entry in the GMC’s Specialist Register, alongside the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in their main specialty; for more information on certification please see the JRCPTB website.

If you are considering applying to stroke medicine, it is strongly recommended that you speak to your current training programme director to discuss your plans and the effect it will have on your training.

• Am I eligible? – key information about the eligibility criteria.
• Planning your application – including the timeline, vacancy numbers, contact information and further opportunities after the national recruitment round.
• Applying – where and how to apply and information about completing the application form.
• Interview – the structure and content of the interview, how you will be scored and appointability determined.
• Offers and beyond – choosing your programme preferences, how and when offers will be made, responding to offers and employment for those accepting an offer.
• About stroke medicine – including summary information about training in stroke medicine, where to go for more information and data relating to the sub-specialty

There is one main round of national recruitment to stroke medicine in 2027:

• Applications – open at 10am on Thursday 19 November 2026 and close at 4pm on Thursday 10 December 2026, for programmes starting from August to December 2027.
• Interview – all interviews will take place on Wednesday 20 January 2027.

The planning your application section has a fuller timetable and information about further opportunities after the national recruitment round.

If you cannot find the answer to anything about stroke medicine recruitment on our website, the Physician Specialty Recruitment Office runs a helpdesk which can be contacted with any queries. Normally, queries will be responded to within 48 hours (excluding bank holidays and weekends).

For help with any queries, please visit the Lase PGMDE support portal: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/home 

Best wishes, and good luck with your application,

Dr Philip Bright
Clinical Lead for the Physician Specialty Recruitment Office