Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners

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Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) is a postgraduate medical qualification in the United Kingdom (UK) run by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). On successful completion of the assessment, general practitioners are eligible to use the post-nominal letters MRCGP that indicate Membership of the RCGP (with continued payment of RCGP fees).

Contents

The MRCGP exam was first offered to doctors in 1965 and was originally an optional qualification. In 2007 the MRCGP became an integrated training and assessment system to prepare doctors for working in general practice. [1] Doctors are now required to succeed in the MRCGP assessments in order to be issued with a certificate of completion of their specialty training (CCT) in general practice.

MRCGP Postgraduate Qualification since 2007

In 2007 a new system of assessment was introduced, delivered locally in conjunction with deaneries, with the qualification awarded on completion of a three-year specialty training programme.

Immediately after the introduction of the 2007 changes the term "nMRCGP" had helped to differentiate between old and new assessment procedures (with n meaning new). After several years, once all trainees were being assessed using the new methods, the "n" was dropped.

GP Curriculum

The GP Curriculum was first published by the RCGP in 2006. [2] The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) approved it to be used for GP Specialty Training, and it was introduced for all programmes starting from 1 August 2007. [3] The curriculum is continually updated. [4]

Having taken over from PMETB as the body responsible for assuring postgraduate medical education, the General Medical Council (GMC) approved the GP curriculum and assessment blue print against the published standards in 2010. [5]

MRCGP assessment

MRCGP assessment comprises three components, each of which tests different competences using validated assessment methods. In combination these assessments cover the spectrum of knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes that are outlined in the GP Specialty Training curriculum. [6]

Applied Knowledge Test

Simulated Consultation Assessment

Workplace-Based Assessment

History of the MRCGP Qualification

The MRCGP exam was first offered to general practitioners in 1965 and from 1968 it has been a requirement for GPs to hold this in order to join the college. [9] Before 2007 the MRCGP was a credit accumulation exam. Candidates needed to pass four modules within three years, or retake the whole exam. [10]

Controversy

Analysis of the results of the CSA part of the MRCGP examination showed that some groups of doctors were more likely to score lower marks. [11] Consistently high failure rates were seen amongst doctors who had gained their primary medical qualification outside the United Kingdom, who were mostly of South Asian and African origins. [12] The GMC asked Professor Aneez Esmail to carry out an independent review of the MRCGP exam which was published in September 2013. [11] [13] In October 2013 legal action taken by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) led to a judicial review being granted to review the fairness of the CSA assessment, although the judge also ruled that the GMC should also be included in the action. [14] At the Judicial Review hearing at the High Court in April 2014, the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) was judged to be lawful. [15]

Related Research Articles

In the medical profession, a general practitioner (GP) or family physician is a physician who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education to patients of all ages. GPs' duties are not confined to specific fields of medicine, and they have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues. They are trained to treat patients to levels of complexity that vary between countries. The term "primary care physician" is more usually used in the US. In Asian countries like India, this term has been replaced mainly by Medical Officers, Registered Medical Practitioner etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family medicine</span> Medical specialty

Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is named a family physician. It is often referred to as general practice and a practitioner as a general practitioner. Historically, their role was once performed by any doctor with qualifications from a medical school and who works in the community. However, since the 1950s, family medicine / general practice has become a specialty in its own right, with specific training requirements tailored to each country. The names of the specialty emphasize its holistic nature and/or its roots in the family. It is based on knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and the community, focusing on disease prevention and health promotion. According to the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the aim of family medicine is "promoting personal, comprehensive and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and the community". The issues of values underlying this practice are usually known as primary care ethics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical education in Australia</span> Summary of education and training of medical practitioners (doctors) in Australia.

Medical education in Australia includes the educational activities involved in the initial and ongoing training of Medical Practitioners. In Australia, medical education begins in Medical School; upon graduation it is followed by a period of pre-vocational training including Internship and Residency; thereafter, enrolment into a specialist-vocational training program as a Registrar eventually leads to fellowship qualification and recognition as a fully qualified Specialist Medical Practitioner. Medical education in Australia is facilitated by Medical Schools and the Medical Specialty Colleges, and is regulated by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) of which includes the Medical Board of Australia where medical practitioners are registered nationally.

Medical education in the United Kingdom includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the United Kingdom, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists. A typical outline of the medical education pathway is presented here. However training schemes vary in different pathways may be available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal College of General Practitioners</span> Professional body for doctors in the UK

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including licensing, education, training, research and clinical standards. It is the largest of the medical royal colleges, with over 54,000 members. The RCGP was founded in 1952 in London, England and is a registered charity. Its motto is Cum Scientia Caritas – "Compassion [empowered] with Knowledge."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian College of General Practitioners</span>

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the professional body for general practitioners (GPs) in Australia. The RACGP is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP represents over 40,000 members across metropolitan, urban, rural and remote Australia.

The Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) is the certificate that medical doctors in the United Kingdom receive to indicate that they have completed training in their chosen specialty and are therefore eligible for entry onto the specialist or GP register. This registration is needed to apply for posts as a consultant or a general practitioner (GP) respectively.

A specialty registrar (StR), previously known as and still commonly referred to as a specialist registrar (SpR), is a doctor, public health practitioner or dentist who is working as part of a specialty training programme in the UK. This is known as a training grade as these doctors are supervised to an extent, as part of a structured training experience that leads to being able to undertake independent practice in a hospital specialty or working as a general practitioner.

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, abbreviated as the post-nominal initials FRACP, is a recognition of the completion of the prescribed postgraduate specialist training programme in internal adult or internal paediatric medicine of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board was the non-departmental public body responsible for postgraduate medical education and training in the United Kingdom (UK). The General Medical Council (GMC) took over the functions of PMETB on 1 April 2010 when the two organisations merged.

Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) is a postnominal qualification awarded to physicians who have completed the prescribed training requirements and membership examinations mandated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. MRCPsych is awarded after the completion of the required amount of clinical practice and successful completion of examinations. A further three years within psychiatry and a certificate of completion of specialist training are required to register as a psychiatrist on the General Medical Council specialist register. The examination has undergone a radical change in the past few years, notably in terms of focus and structure.

Medical education in Ireland is the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors across the island of Ireland.

Michael Alexander Leary Pringle CBE is a British physician and academic. He is the emeritus professor of general practice (GP) at the University of Nottingham, a past president of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), best known for his primary care research on clinical audit, significant event audit, revalidation, quality improvement programmes and his contributions to health informatics services and health politics. He is a writer of medicine and fiction, with a number of publications including articles, books, chapters, forewords and guidelines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aneez Esmail</span>

Aneez Esmail is a general practitioner and academic at the University of Manchester. He is a professor of general practice and a GP for three sessions a week. Between 2012 and 2017 he served as the director of the National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) research centre on patient safety in primary care. He is well known for his work over many years on racism in the British National Health Service. He has chaired a wide-ranging review of all postgraduate medical exams. He was medical adviser to the Shipman Inquiry. He was offered an OBE for his contribution to primary care and race relations in 2002, but declined it.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical Schools Council</span>

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The Triple Qualification (TQ) was a medical qualification awarded jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow between 1884 and 1993. Successful candidates could register with the General Medical Council (GMC) and practise medicine in the United Kingdom. It was a route used by international medical graduates and those unable to gain entry to university medical schools, which included women in the late 19th century and refugee medical students and doctors throughout the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Irvine (physician)</span> British general practitioner

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Kamila HawthorneMBE FAcadMEdFLSW is a Welsh medical academic and a general practitioner. She has been a clinical professor of Medical Education, and Associate Dean for Medicine.

References

  1. ↑ McKnight, Agnes (2005). "Changes in Vocational Training for General Practice". Ulster Medical Journal . 75 (1): 3–4. PMC   1891791 . PMID   16457398.
  2. ↑ Wedderburn, Clare (2 Dec 2006). "The new GP curriculum". Career Focus. BMJ. 333 (7579): s206–s207. doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7579.s206. PMID   21851567.
  3. ↑ "RCGP receives official approval for GP training curriculum". GP magazine . 13 October 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Training: GP curriculum: overview". Royal College of General Practitioners . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Specification for review of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) examination" (PDF). General Medical Council. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Training: MRCGP exam overview". Royal College of General Practitioners. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Training: MRCGP exam: Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)". Royal College of General Practitioners. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Training: MRCGP Workplace Based Assessment (WPBA)". Royal College of General Practitioners. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. ↑ Riley, Ben (January 2008). "The new MRCGP- what's it all about?". InnovAit. 1 (1): 49–52. doi:10.1093/innovait/inm013.
  10. ↑ Cross, Peter (15 May 2004). "How to pass the MRCGP". Career Focus. BMJ. 328 (7449): s195. doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7449.s195.
  11. 1 2 Talwar, Divya (19 October 2013). "GP exam 'unfair to minorities'". BBC News. BBC.
  12. ↑ Cooper, Charlie (19 October 2013). "Racial discrimination against black and ethnic minority trainee doctors 'can't be ruled out', warns expert" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Esmail, Aneez; Roberts, Chris (18 September 2013). "Independent Review of the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) examination" (PDF). General Medical Council . Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  14. ↑ Soteriou, Marina (18 October 2013). "GMC to face High Court challenge over fairness of CSA test". GP Magazine. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Siddique, Haroon. "GPs' exams disadvantage ethnic minority students, says high court judge". The Guardian . Guardian Media Group . Retrieved 17 March 2015.
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