Medical

Career Overview

General practitioners (GPs) provide primary and continuing medical care for patients. They take account of physical, psychological 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 work alongside other health care professionals to discuss care options for patients and their families. GPs who are partners are responsible for the running of the practice. This involves a range of administrative activities, such as employing staff, keeping abreast of paperwork, and managing budgets.

Work Activities

Typical work activities include:

♣ Running surgeries, listening to and questioning patients sensitively

♣ Referring patients to specialist services in hospitals

♣ Maintaining patient confidentiality and impartiality

♣ Planning and providing appropriate treatment

♣ Commissioning health care by liaising with medical professionals in the community and hospitals

♣ Promoting health education in conjunction with other health professionals

♣ Organising preventative medical programmes for individual patients

♣ Meeting targets set by the government for specific treatments, eg child immunisations

♣  Managing resources to service the targets as effectively as possible

♣  Keeping up to date with medical developments, new drugs, treatments and medications, including complementary medicine (the internet is increasingly being used as a means of researching and gathering information on medical products)

♣ Discussing the development of new pharmaceutical products with pharmaceutical sales representatives

♣ Observing and assessing the work of trainee general practitioners (GPs)

♣ Maintaining a portfolio of continuing professional development (CPD) activities.

Entry requirements

A degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC) is essential for entry into this profession. Entry to medical school is becoming a more popular option for postgraduates, given the expanded number of graduate entry schemes available. While some medical schools prefer science graduates, some will consider graduates holding any relevant degree. For further information on general entry to medicine and medical careers see the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS Careers websites.

Ideally, candidates should offer some relevant voluntary/paid work experience in support of their application. Consult Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and individual universities for further information. Practices vary between schools, but potential candidates will usually have to show evidence of the following:

♣ Personal qualities such as compassion, resourcefulness, stamina, motivation and perseverance

♣ The ability to work within a multidisciplinary team

♣ Excellent communication skills

♣ Satisfactory sources of funding - you will generally need a written guarantee detailing your ability to finance the course

♣  A realistic idea of what the work involves

♣ An understanding of the demands of the course, which is considerably more intensive than other degrees, involving vast amounts of factual as well as problem-based learning.

A means-tested bursary is available in addition to the standard maintenance loan available from the Student Loans Company. Check with medical schools to establish the current rate of fees and with funding bodies for your eligibility. Some schools charge fees at lower rates for self-funded students. Other sources of funding to consider include:

♣ A scholarship fund - contact the registrars' department of the relevant university for details

♣ Bursaries, loans or trust funds available through professional associations

♣ Personal/professional bank loan schemes, or a career development loan

♣ Sums available from trusts, foundations and educational charities (use directories such as The Grants Register: The Complete Guide to Postgraduate Funding Worldwide, A Guide to the Major Trusts or the FunderFinder database in your careers, university or public library to identify possible sources)

♣ Scholarship Search UK and Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS)

♣  Medical cadetships, available through the armed services

♣ BMA Charities, who provide details of organisations who may fund people studying medicine as a second degree.

Training

The structure of doctors training has been changed following the introduction of the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) plan and changes will come into force in 2007. At the time of writing (December 2006), full details had not been finalised, so you must consult the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) website to keep yourself informed and request email updates. This facility is available via the website. Briefly, the training structure is as follows: all UK medical graduates are required to undertake a two-year postgraduate foundation programme before progressing to GP training. Foundation training covers a variety of specialties and settings (acute, community, mental health and general practice) and is provided, supported and overseen by medical schools, postgraduate deaneries and health care providers working in liaison.

From the January of their second foundation year, trainees can apply (via the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS)) for a place on a GP training programme and successful candidates can start on the programme straight after the end of their second foundation year. Doctors in GP training will have the opportunity to gain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), subject to satisfactory progress. After receiving a CCT, doctors will be 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 posts 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, eventually, a process of 'revalidation', whereby doctors need to demonstrate their fitness to practise every five years. The General Medical Council (GMC) states that doctors must keep their knowledge and skills up to date throughout their working life and should 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.

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