General practice doctor
General practitioners, or GPs, provide primary and continuing medical care for patients. They take account of physical, emotional and social factors when diagnosing illness and recommending the required treatment. Patients may be referred to hospital clinics for further assessment and/or treatment.
GPs may run specialist clinics within the practice for patients with specific conditions. They increasingly work as part of a team alongside other healthcare professionals, including community health doctors, to discuss care options for patients and their families and help patients to take responsibility for their own health.
GPs who are partners in a practice are also responsible for the running of the practice, which involves a range of administrative activities, such as employing staff, managing contracts and working within strict budgets.
Tasks include:
Partners in a practice may decide to expand their career portfolio and specialise in a specific area of medicine, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry or orthopaedics. They may also specialise in areas such as IT, human resource management, medical education or training.
Salary data from NHS Careers, 2011.
A degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC) is essential for entry into this profession.
Entry to medical school is a popular and competitive option for postgraduates. While some medical schools prefer science graduates, others consider graduates holding any relevant degree. Further information on general entry to medicine and medical careers is available from:
Access courses, usually lasting one year, are also available for graduates whose degree is not in an appropriate area. For details see Widening Access to Medical School (WAMS) .
Ideally, candidates should offer some relevant voluntary/paid work experience in support of their application. Volunteering opportunities can be found at:
Consult Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and individual universities for further information on precise entry requirements as practices vary between schools, but candidates will usually have to show evidence of the following:
Extensive information about funding your course is available from Money4MedStudents . A means-tested bursary is available for specific years of the course (depending on whether you are on a graduate or standard five-year course) in addition to the standard maintenance loan available from the Student Loans Company . Check the current rate of fees and with funding bodies for your eligibility.
Other sources of funding to consider include:
Getting into medicine continues to be very competitive so a candidate's motivation and commitment at entry level are rigorously assessed. Whole books of advice are available, but you can also find some free sample questions and tips for the interview process at ISC Medical .
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
The structure of doctors' training changed following the introduction of the Medical Specialty Training (England) plan. Full information on training, application for training, and qualification in England are available from the Foundation Programme for Foundation training. For details of training in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland see:
Briefly, all UK medical graduates are required to undertake a two-year postgraduate foundation programme before progressing to general practitioner (GP) training. Foundation training covers a variety of specialties and settings, e.g. acute, community, mental health and general practice, and is provided, supported and overseen by a Foundation School comprised of medical schools, postgraduate deaneries and healthcare providers working in liaison.
In the December of their second foundation year, trainees can apply for a place on a GP training programme via the National Recruitment Office for General Practice Training , which coordinates recruitment to general practice training schemes throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Successful candidates can start on the programme straight after the end of their second foundation year in August. A comprehensive list of application deadlines is available on the website.
The GP training programme takes three years and involves placements lasting for 18-24 months in a hospital setting and 12-18 months in a general practice, depending where you are in the UK. The programmes are based on the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) training curriculum. Doctors are awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), subject to satisfactory progress and success in the examinations for Membership of the RCGP (MRCGP), which cover three areas: a knowledge test; a clinical skills assessment; and workplace-based assessment carried out during the training placements. Doctors with the CCT are legally eligible for entry to the GP Register and can then apply for appropriate medical appointments.
Flexible training is possible for those who have well-founded individual reasons, such as domestic commitments, disability or ill health. You can make an application for flexible training only after you have been accepted for a training post. There is no guarantee that there will be sufficient places for all who request flexible training.
On completion of training, most GPs join existing practices, either as principals (having responsibility for a given patient list) or as non-principals (who provide a service but do not have responsibility for a patient list). All GPs must have a continuing professional development (CPD) plan, which is monitored through an annual appraisal and a five-yearly process of 'revalidation', which requires doctors to demonstrate their fitness to practise. The General Medical Council (GMC) requires doctors to keep their knowledge and skills up to date throughout their working life and to regularly take part in educational activities to further develop competence and performance.
CPD programmes should reflect personal interests and can be supported by a range of practical frameworks, such as additional study, peer review, mentoring skills and appraisals. Many doctors attend external events as part of this process, while others conduct individual research to expand career interests.
The pattern of career development for general practitioners (GPs) has radically changed in recent years. 10 to 20 years ago it was common for GPs to join a practice as a partner and remain there for their entire career. Today, as with most other professions, there is much greater flexibility. An increasing number of GPs are working part time as they seek a good work/life balance. This means that there has been a shift towards working fewer hours on a more flexible basis. For further details see the Flexible Careers Scheme (FCS) for Doctors .
Whilst some GPs continue to enter the profession as partners in a practice, there is now the option to work for a practice as a salaried doctor. This means you do not take on the same responsibilities and are not as involved in the administration of the practice.
Rather than remaining with a practice for many years, some GPs choose to work as locums as this provides more flexibility. Pay for locums has improved and this mode of working allows the GP to spend more time with patients, rather than on practice administration.
Some GPs take a break from medicine, returning later either on a full or part-time basis through a deanery 'retainer' or 'returner' scheme. For more information, contact the relevant deanery. There are 21 in the UK and a list is available from the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans of the United Kingdom (COPMeD) .
Practitioners with Special Interests (PwSIs) is an initiative that enables GPs to diversify their career development by pursuing an interest in a particular area. For example, some GPs expand their expertise in areas such as substance misuse, epilepsy, endoscopy, safeguarding children, palliative care and sexual health, among others.
Other development opportunities lie in education, training, practice management and providing occupational health services. Many GPs also develop 'portfolio' careers, often undertaking several roles on a part-time basis. Suggestions for ways of developing your career outside medicine can be found at Support4Doctors .
The vast majority of graduates leaving medical school to become general practitioners (GPs) in the UK are employed by trust practices in the National Health Service (NHS) (see NHS Careers ), with only a small number working for private practices.
There are a limited number of jobs for GPs in the armed forces, with some possibility of working overseas. It is also possible to work for the Civil Service, in settings such as prisons. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
website provides more information on both these options.
Many medical charities, both in the UK and overseas, offer posts for trained GPs, whether early in their careers to gain experience or later when they have experience to offer. The RCGP has a basic list of charities that offer jobs to GPs.
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