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Duties of a medical practitioner
All registered medical practitioners have a duty placed on them by the General Medical Council (GMC) to be honest and trustworthy. Trainees whose GMC registration (or its international equivalent) is restricted in any way by their registering body must provide the RCGP with full details in advance of sitting any component of the MRCGP examination. Trainee performance in the MRCGP examination is reviewed by medical practitioners who themselves have a duty to notify the GMC if they have concerns.
Misconduct before, during or after examinations, or evidence of lack of competence, may be referred to the GMC.
Introduction
Purpose of these regulations
1.1. These Regulations relate to the examinations undertaken by medical practitioners training in a GP specialty training programme in the UK. The examinations are known collectively as the examination for membership of the RCGP (MRCGP).
Date of publication
1.2. These Regulations first came into effect on 1 August 2007. They change over time. A record of changes since December 2018 will be included at the beginning of the document. Trainees should ensure they are familiar with the Regulations current at the time they are taking the MRCGP. The current version will always be downloadable from the RCGP website. The RCGP will give advance notice of any change which may have a material effect on trainees to ensure that trainees are not disadvantaged as a result.
Data protection
1.3. The RCGP will process and store the personal data and examination data of MRCGP trainees in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016 and Data Protection Act 2018. Information on individual trainee performance and trainee's performance overall will be passed to local office and deanery (both henceforth referred to as deaneries) administrators and the GMC.
1.4. Personal data will also be passed to the GMC for regulatory reporting, quality assurance and research purposes and to facilitate the awarding of Certificates of Completion of Training (CCTs). Trainees wishing to exercise their data subject rights should contact the RCGP’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) at info.dataprotection@rcgp.org.uk.
Examination security and copyright
1.5. Examination material relating to the MRCGP is confidential, protected by copyright and subject to non-disclosure requirements which trainees must observe. It must not be placed on the internet and must not be disclosed to, or discussed with, any unauthorised person under any circumstances except with the express, written permission of the MRCGP Chief Examiner. Trainees who are found to have infringed these requirements will be penalised in accordance with the guidance on misconduct in these Regulations.
Purpose of the examination
2.1. The MRCGP is an integrated examination system. Successful completion of its three components is required of medical practitioners who undertake the UK’s specialty training programme in general practice1,2 and who wish to obtain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in general practice. The CCT is the licence to practise as a GP in the National Health Service (NHS).
2.2. The MRCGP has been approved by the GMC.
2.3. A medical practitioner who successfully completes the MRCGP and has a licence to practise is eligible for membership of the RCGP.
- 1 The specialty training programme is postgraduate training that takes place after completion of a medical degree and the UK’s two-year Foundation Programme or its equivalent.
- 2 For medical practitioners training part time, the full-time equivalent period of training applies throughout these Regulations. Part time training should be at least 50% of full time.
Regulatory framework
3.1. The law requires medical practitioners who wish to work as GPs in the NHS to obtain a licence to practise and then to be entered into the GMC’s General Practitioners Register.
3.2. The CCT in general practice is awarded on successful completion of a GP specialty training programme that conforms to the requirements of the General and Specialist Medical Practice (Education, Training and Qualifications) Order 2010.
3.3. Those passing the AKT or SCA after they have exited training will not be eligible for a CCT and must apply instead for GP registration via the Portfolio (Approved Programme) Pathway.
3.4. The Order requires the GMC, and those setting standards and monitoring training and assessment on its behalf, to safeguard the health and well-being of patients. The RCGP has an important duty under the law, therefore, to ensure that medical practitioners who are awarded the MRCGP are fit for independent practice as GPs in the UK.
3.5. Training programmes, and the examination systems that form part of them, must be approved by the GMC. Substantial changes to the MRCGP require GMC approval and will be published before being implemented.
3.6. More information on both types of certificate and the GP training programme is available on our website.