International healthcare recruitment — from single hires to mass-scale campaigns
We place doctors, nurses, GPs and allied health professionals worldwide — one specialist at a time, or entire cohorts through large-scale, ethical campaigns from the Philippines, India and beyond.
Four ways we recruit
From a single specialist to an entire workforce programme — matched to what you actually need.
Permanent & fixed-term
Individual and team hires into substantive and fixed-term posts — doctors, GPs, nurses and allied health — with full registration, visa and relocation support.
Project recruitment
Mass-scale, time-bound campaigns to fill many roles at once — new hospital openings, ward expansions or seasonal demand — mobilising qualified cohorts to an agreed timeline and budget.
RPO
Recruitment Process Outsourcing: we run all or part of your recruitment function as an extension of your team — branding, sourcing, screening, compliance and onboarding — cutting agency spend and time-to-hire at scale.
Retention & aftercare
Recruitment doesn't end at arrival. Pastoral onboarding, OSCE/NCLEX support, community and career development keep your internationally-recruited staff supported — and retained.
Ava Medical is a specialist international healthcare recruitment agency. We began in NHS doctor recruitment and have grown into a full-spectrum partner spanning doctors, nurses, allied health, general practice and non-clinical roles across the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Gulf and the USA.
What sets us apart is scale and specialism. We deliver everything from a single hard-to-fill consultant post to mass-scale cohort campaigns that mobilise dozens or hundreds of internationally-trained nurses at once — with the same obsessive attention to registration, English testing, visas, relocation and, crucially, retention. Every placement is delivered ethically, in line with the UK and WHO codes of practice, and it is always free for the clinicians we place.
Recruitment routes we run
A few of the corridors we place clinicians along — from a single specialist move to whole cohorts.
UK GPs → Australia, NZ & Canada
MRCGP / CCT-holding GPs fast-tracked to RACGP or RNZCGP fellowship, or Canadian family-medicine (CCFP) practice-ready routes — with visa, licensing and relocation handled.
NHS & IMG doctors → The Gulf
Consultants and specialists into tax-free posts across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, with SCFHS, DHA and DataFlow processing managed end to end.
UK & Irish doctors → Australia & NZ
Specialists and consultants via the AHPRA and MCNZ competent-authority pathway — one of the fastest routes for UK and Irish-trained doctors.
Internationally-trained GPs → UK & Ireland
We bring overseas-trained GPs into the UK and Irish systems to help ease a shared shortage — supporting GP Register / GMC and IMC / ICGP registration, English testing and relocation.
Filipino & Indian nurses → UK, USA, Ireland & Gulf
Mass cohort campaigns with OET / IELTS, NMC OSCE and NCLEX-RN preparation, visa, Certificate of Sponsorship and pastoral onboarding.
International nurses & AHPs → Canada & Australia
Registration via NNAS, AHPRA and provincial colleges, with category-based permanent-residence routes and full relocation support.
Cohort recruitment from the Philippines & India
We design and run large-scale, ethical recruitment projects that mobilise cohorts of internationally-trained nurses and allied health professionals — from the Philippines, India and beyond — into the UK, USA, Ireland and the Gulf. From a single specialist hire to cohorts of 20 to 300+, we manage the whole journey end to end.
How a campaign runs
One accountable partner from first advert to long-term retention.
Attraction & sourcing
Targeted, ethical campaigns reach qualified clinicians in permitted source countries, including large candidate communities in the Philippines and India.
Pre-qualification & screening
Every candidate is screened for registration eligibility, experience and English competence before shortlisting — the same detailed pre-qualification our online forms capture.
Exams & registration
We coordinate OET/IELTS and NMC OSCE, NCLEX-RN, AHPRA or DataFlow — arranging training academies for whole cohorts at scale.
Visa, CoS & compliance
Certificate of Sponsorship, visa applications and right-to-work compliance handled end to end, aligned to the UK and WHO codes of practice.
Relocation & pastoral onboarding
Flights, accommodation guidance and a structured first-weeks programme so new arrivals settle quickly and safely.
Retention & career development
Ongoing support, revalidation and progression planning to keep internationally-recruited staff engaged and retained for the long term.
Our values
Ethical & compliant
We recruit only from permitted source countries under the UK and WHO codes of practice — protecting clinicians and the health systems they leave.
Honest, always
Real timelines, real pay, real routes. If a market isn't right for you, or you're not ready yet, we'll tell you — and help you get there.
Specialist expertise
Dedicated consultants for each profession and market, who know the registration and visa detail inside out.
Free for candidates
Every fee is paid by the hiring employer. Expert support from first conversation to first shift, at no cost to you.
Truly international
Eight countries, one profile. We match you to the market that fits your career, family and timeline.
Responsive
A specialist consultant responds within one working day — because good opportunities move quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What is project recruitment in healthcare?
Project recruitment is a mass-scale, time-bound campaign to fill many roles at once — for example a new hospital opening or a ward expansion. We mobilise qualified cohorts of clinicians to an agreed timeline and budget, managing attraction, screening, registration, visas and onboarding end to end.
What is RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)?
RPO is where you outsource all or part of your recruitment function to a specialist provider. We operate as an extension of your team — handling employer branding, sourcing, screening, compliance and onboarding at scale to cut agency spend and time-to-hire.
Do you run mass recruitment campaigns for Filipino and Indian nurses?
Yes. We design and run ethical, large-scale campaigns that mobilise cohorts of internationally-trained nurses from the Philippines and India into the UK, Ireland and the Gulf — including OET/IELTS, NMC OSCE and NCLEX-RN preparation, visa and Certificate of Sponsorship processing, travel and pastoral onboarding.
How do you support staff retention?
Our involvement doesn't end on arrival. We provide pastoral onboarding, OSCE/NCLEX and revalidation support, community integration and career-development planning so internationally-recruited staff settle, progress and stay.
Ready to talk?
Whether you're a clinician exploring your next move or a hospital that needs to hire — from one role to a whole cohort — we'd love to hear from you.