How many years to become registered with the GMC?

[X]

Hi all,

I know at present once you've finished Medical school you have to work as a PRHO for 1 year to become registered as a proper doctor with the GMC. I've heard that buy the time I graduate 2010 this will take 2 years because of the new foundation year program. Is this right? 2 years just sounds like an awful long time.

Also, once you've registered - lets say you go and work abroad for 20 years or leave the NHS for some reason do you become unregistered or is registration for life provided you don't commit any serious fault/harm to a patient.

Thanks

[alilel]

You get full registration at the end of the F1 year, so still only 1 year after graduation.

[Angel M]

so after you become registered people who want to become gp's do they go on straight to gp or do you have to do other stuff?
Do you only have to do sho, registrar etc if you want to become a consultant/surgeon?

[X]

so after F1 you can leave?

[exms]

You can leave whenever you want to

The usual route to GP is 2 years SHO, 1 yr GP registrar --> GP.

-- A.

[X]

but you'd want to leave being registered.

[rjm]

As long as you register I think you remain registered, however, we were told last week that if you leave before you are registered ie, decide to do F1 abroad, you will never be able to register with the GMC because they are removing retrospective registration and if you are a british graduate without registration you wont be able to get registration that overseas graduates get. Something like that anyways.

[caster]

so after you become registered people who want to become gp's do they go on straight to gp or do you have to do other stuff?

After being registered you used to be able to go and do anything at all (eg setting up as a GP), but that was a long time ago...

Now, after your PRHO year (or after Foundation years), you need to do a minimum of two years in certain hospital SHO jobs (eg obstetrics, paediatrics, general medicine, geriatrics, etc) plus one year as a GP registrar. You can get a job in a Vocational Training Scheme, where you have all your rotation organised for you in a particular area. Alternatively you can organise your own jobs if you get them approved with the relevant Dean.

Many GPs do more than the minimum of SHO jobs before they go into GP training... many GPs have done 3 or 4 years of SHO jobs in more of a variety of different subjects, maybe to get extra experience, or maybe because they were thinking of going into a different specialty and then changed their minds.