What is MRCGP[INT]?

International Membership of the RCGP

 

Information about the RCGP's International Membership, including exam sites and eligibility.

 

MRCGP[INT] stands for 'Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners [International]'. This is a separate grade of membership available by examination only, for doctors who pass an MRCGP[INT]-accredited examination outside the UK. International Membership is available for family medicine doctors in a number of locations throughout the world.

 

MRCGP[INT] Accredited Sites

 

The MRCGP[INT] Accredited Sites are currently located in regions throughout the Middle East and South Asia as well as in Egypt, Brunei and Malta. For contact details and further information on these locations please click here.

 

Eligibility for MRCGP[INT] Accredited exams

 

Eligibility is specific to each site and will need to be checked with the regional coordinator. Some sites only allow applicants from within the country where the site is located. All exams will require some level of experience of training or working in family medicine.

 

Eligibility for the UK exam

 

Family medicine doctors practicing outside the UK are no longer eligible to sit the UK membership exams.  Prior to the establishment of MRCGP[INT] many doctors from outside the UK who took the UK exam found it strongly biased towards GPs working within the NHS system. MRCGP[INT] was set up to address this issue.

 

The difference between MRCGP[INT] and MRCGP

 

The RCGP believes that exporting the UK membership exam in its entirety to other countries is inappropriate in family medicine for a number of reasons. Family doctors in various countries/regions face different challenges and require different skills and knowledge. Local epidemiology, disease profiles, cultural and religious practices, as well as the structure of local healthcare systems call for tailored assessment frameworks to adequately measure these different skills sets.

 

Benefits of taking the MRCGP[INT] Exams

 

Passing the MRCGP[INT] Exams gives family medicine doctors evidence that they are practicing to the same standards as their UK counterparts. Successful candidates who pass an MRCGP[INT]-accredited examination become entitled to apply for International Membership of the RCGP. Having International Membership does not automatically give you the ability to work in the UK. The exam is written for a specific region and is not written with the purpose of assisting doctors in moving to and working in the UK.

 

Becoming an International Member

 

If you have successfully passed the MRCGP[INT] Exams you are eligible to apply for International Membership of the RCGP. It is only once they have become admitted to the College that they can refer to themselves as "MRCGP[INT]" and use this abbreviation as a post-nominal designation in addition to their local qualification.

 

Accreditation of a local site

 

To become accredited for MRCGP[INT], a local (often licensing) postgraduate family medicine examination must meet the same academic and professional requirements and standards as the MRCGP examination in the UK. We work with Family Medicine exam boards in countries which are interested in obtaining and retaining our accreditation by reviewing and developing their Family Medicine training curricula and assessment standards and methods.

 

Setting up MRCGP[INT] in different countries

 

Developing an adequate standard of assessment to the same academic rigor as the UK exam involves setting up a joint exam development team. This involves local examiners and trainers and RCGP-appointed advisors (International Development Advisors, or IDAs). Once an exam is ready for accreditation, Examination Development Assessors (EDAs) scrutinise all aspects of the assessment framework and issue a recommendation to the MRCGP[INT] Board whether accreditation should be granted. Once accreditation is achieved, there is a quality assurance mechanism whereby the standards are constantly monitored to ensure they are upheld.

 

 

MRCGP[INT] Flyer