Certify a specialist

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Abstract
Legal challenges and European legislation have complicated specialist certification. Stella Lowry, head of the BMA's international department, guides you through the latest regulations Since January this year the way that medical specialist training is certified has changed to bring British systems into line with those elsewhere in Europe. The regulation which allows this mutual recognition of specialist qualifications from across the community is known as the European Specialist Medical Qualifications Order (1995). It established the Specialist Training Authority (STA) which will issue the certificates of completion of specialist training (CCSTs) that replace accreditation by the royal colleges. The duration of specialist training in most specialties in Britain has always been longer than the minimum duration required by the European directive/93/16/EEC. However, until January 1996 the General Medical Council issued a certificate of specialist training (CST) to doctors whose training met the minimum requirements of the directive. The CST was accepted by other European countries as evidence of specialist status, although it never conferred such rights on doctors in Britain. British doctors could obtain a CST and practise as specialists elsewhere in Europe at a stage in their training far short of that required for appointment as a consultant in the NHS. Many European doctors, particularly from countries with high medical unemployment, came to Britain to obtain training leading to the granting of a CST which then allowed them to return home and work as specialists. ### A guide to the jargon

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