This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2009) |
The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB, also PGME) was the non-departmental public body responsible for postgraduate medical education and training in the United Kingdom (UK). [1] The General Medical Council (GMC) took over the functions of PMETB on 1 April 2010 when the two organisations merged.
PMETB ensured that postgraduate training for doctors was of the highest standard. It was accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and acted independently of government. GPs and specialists within the National Health Service (NHS) or working privately in England had to comply with the standards it established[ citation needed ]. PMETB in conjunction with COPMeD ran an annual UK-wide survey of trainee doctors. [2]
PMETB was established by The General and Specialist Medical Practice (Education, Training and Qualifications) Order 2003 [1] ("the Order") to develop a single, unifying framework for postgraduate medical education and training and began operating on 30 September 2005. It took over the responsibilities of the Specialist Training Authority of the medical royal colleges and the Joint Committee on Postgraduate General Practice Training.
A Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or GPCCT (for GPs) is awarded to doctors who have successfully followed and completed a PMETB approved curriculum in a PMETB approved training programme.
PMETB developed and introduced a system that assesses applications from doctors who have not followed a traditional training programme but who may have gained the same level of skills and knowledge as CCT holders. Prior to their establishment, there were only very limited ways for these doctors to join the specialist or GP registers, with consequent limitations to their career development.
Doctors who wish to join the specialist register and have not followed a full General Medical Council approved training programme can apply under Article 8(2) of The General and Specialist Medical Practice Order for a Certificate confirming Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR). [3]
GPs who have not followed a PMETB approved training programme can apply under Article 11 of the Order for a Certificate confirming Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPR).
PMETB's website lists its achievements since 2008. These include:
In the past, PMETB was criticised by some medical royal colleges for adding bureaucracy, poor communication and a lack of robustness in its regulation of postgraduate medical training. Many of these problems relate to the initial stages of the Board's operation and came to a head in summer 2007. The Board's relationships with the medical royal colleges subsequently improved with a new contract signed between the two bodies which dealt with concerns the medical royal colleges had about the funding of their work.
In February 2008 the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, agreed with recommendations of the Tooke Report which advised that PMETB should merge with the General Medical Council (GMC). [4] Whilst recognising the achievements made by PMETB, Professor John Tooke concluded that regulation needed to be combined into one body; that there should be one organisation that looked after what he called 'the continuum of medical education', from the moment someone chooses a career in medicine until the point that they retire.
New legislation transferred PMETB’s regulatory responsibilities to the GMC, including all of the certificates that PMETB were issuing at the time: [5]
The merger, which took place on 1 April 2010, was welcomed by both PMETB and the GMC.
A general practitioner (GP) or family physician is a doctor who is a consultant in general practice.
Podiatry, or podiatric medicine and surgery, is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.
Residency or postgraduate training is a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician, veterinarian, dentist, podiatrist (DPM) or pharmacist (PharmD) who practices medicine or surgery, veterinary medicine, dentistry, podiatry, or clinical pharmacy, respectively, usually in a hospital or clinic, under the direct or indirect supervision of a senior medical clinician registered in that specialty such as an attending physician or consultant.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
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.
A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in the Republic of Ireland and many Commonwealth countries. SHOs usually have a minimum of 1 year post medical school training. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In training posts these registrars and consultants oversee training and are usually their designated clinical supervisors.
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.
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is a programme for postgraduate medical training introduced in the United Kingdom in 2005. The programme replaced the traditional grades of medical career before the level of Consultant. The different stages of the programme contribute towards a "Certificate of Completion of Training" (CCT). It has been dogged by criticism within and outside the medical profession, and an independent review of MMC led by Professor Sir John Tooke criticised many aspects of it.
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.
A medicalintern is a physician in training who has completed medical school and has a medical degree, but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised. Medical education generally ends with a period of practical training similar to internship, but the way the overall program of academic and practical medical training is structured differs depending upon the country, as does the terminology used.
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."
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by controlling entry to the register, and suspending or removing members when necessary. It also sets the standards for medical schools in the UK. Membership of the register confers substantial privileges under Part VI of the Medical Act 1983. It is a criminal offence to make a false claim of membership. The GMC is supported by fees paid by its members, and it became a registered charity in 2001.
Modern medical education in Hong Kong started in 1887 with the founding of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. Six institutes of higher education are currently engaged in the training of medical practitioners in Hong Kong.
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.
Medical education in Ireland is the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors across the island of Ireland.
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.
The Shape of Training was a review of postgraduate medical education and training in the United Kingdom, which reported in 2013. The review was undertaken to consider workforce issues, such as the balance between specialisation and generalism in medicine. The review was supported by a range of organisations concerned with medical education and had an independent chair, Professor Sir David Greenaway.
Medical education in Wales is the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors in Wales.
Medical education in Scotland includes the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors in Scotland.