How are the candidates shortlisted for MTI / CPSP Scholarship Program?

After submitting an application online, in approximately 1-1.5 months if you are short listed you will receive an email confirming your interview. It will help if you have your IELTS in hand at this time, it's perfectly OK if you don't  You can let them know that you have planned to give but CPSP has started to change the rules they want completed IELTS at the time of application. Surprisingly enough  not many people were present for the interview, it was either that only a few applied or not many were selected, I guess it was the former. An interview will be

scheduled usually when a delegation from UK visits CPSP. The interview may be face to face or online at CPSP centers throughout Pakistan. Mine was at CPSP Karachi face to face. The interview is pretty straightforward there is a panel of interviewers both from CPSP and UK.

They start off with introducing themselves. Ask you tell about yourself a little background, where you have worked what are you doing now a days. This is the time to boast your achievements that aren't in your CV or highlight the ones which are. They will ask questions from your CV (which you would be requested to send once your interview is confirmed). Then they will ask you ethical scenarios, and clinical scenarios. I was asked how to manage GI bleed and how to manage a patient with blocked Foley's which was surprising to ask from the Resident whom will be joining as Respiratory Medicine fellow? . They will done ask you if you have any queries. To which I asked what post will I be offered they said initially few months as SHO to understand the system and then as a Clinical Fellow.


Apparently nothing was set in stone at that time, the cpsp representatives sitting there had no idea how will this workout and will my training be counted in my Pulmonology RTMC ( I was working as Pulmonology fellow at Jpmc at that point). At this point I wasn't sure whether it's worth leaving Pulmonology residency for this. They asked me whether I am married will I move with my wife, do I know how to drive. Overall around 10 - 12 min of interview.
So it was later confirmed by the president of CPSP himself that all your training will be counted in your respective RTMC and yes you begin as an SHO (R1 level) and then you get promoted to a registrar (Fellow / R3 level)
I will be writing in detail on how this all will work and how you will be assessed and promoted. There's lots of information to give so please subscribe so you can get an email as soon as I post something new.