Applying for Fellowship

 
To be eligible to apply, candidates for Fellowship are to have at least five years continuous Membership in good standing (i.e. having paid all fees and subscriptions due to the College) at the time of registration.
 
The Fellowship application process is a three-step process:
 
Step 1. Registering
Step 2. Gathering evidence and approaching referees
Step 3. Submitting your Personal Statements and an Application Form
 
Members will have 2 years to submit their application from the date of registration.
 
Members thinking about applying should contact their Faculty Lead, Faculty Fellowship Committee or the Fellowship Unit if they require further information.
 
Information on the next stage of the process - the adjudication of applications - can be found on Adjudication Process and Results.
 
Flow Chart of Application Process shows the stages of the application process as a handy diagram.
 
Please see the Guidance Notes for further details about the application and adjudication process.
 

Step 1. Registering

In order to proceed with an application, Members must first register their intention to apply by filling in a Registration Form.
 
The Registration Form asks the Member for:
  • contact information
  • a signed declaration that the Member has been in good standing for five continuous years at the date of registration
  • an indication of the Achievement Categories the Member is intending to apply under
  • details of any pending or upheld complaints
The Member will also be asked at this stage to pay a registration fee of £300, which is non-refundable and contributes to the cost of processing an application. Please make cheques payable to the Royal College of General Practitioners.
 
All correspondence must be sent in hard copy to the Fellowship Unit.
 
Once the Fellowship Unit has confirmed the Member is eligible to apply, the Member will be invited to submit their application.
 

Step 2. Gathering evidence and approaching referees

 

Choosing one or more achievement categories

 

Applicants should submit a separate Personal Statement for each of their chosen Achievement Categories outlining their experience in that area.

 

Members may submit an application against one, any or all of the six categories. Applicants submitting in only one or two categories should expect to provide more detailed evidence than those submitting in, say, three or more.

 

The only proviso in applying for Fellowship is that Members in active clinical practice must include a submission within the Clinical Practice category (please refer to the Clinical Practice category requirements).

 

Gathering evidence

 

Supplementary evidence should be collated to support an application. This should be seen and signed off by a referee and should not be submitted to the Fellowship Unit unless invited to do so.

 

Having supporting evidence signed by a referee

 

The role of a referee is to sign off the supplementary evidence. Referees need not be a Member or Fellow of the College, or indeed a doctor, but they must be of sufficient standing and relevant experience to attest to the accuracy of the evidence submitted. Applicants should identify a referee for each achievement category they are applying under. Examples of the type of referee identified by past candidates are available within the Frequently Asked Questions pages.

 

The applicant must ask each of their referees to complete a Referee Declaration Form to declare that they have seen the evidence, including the personal statement, and that the information cited is accurate and reliable. Referees should write a statement describing their relationship with the applicant and outline their perceptions of their working style/achievements/commitments. When considering the supporting statement, referees should be aware that in some circumstances, their contribution to the process can assist adjudicators considerably.

 

The applicant should collate the completed Referee Declaration Forms and submit them to the Fellowship Unit together with their completed Application Form (in hard copy).

 

Step 3. Submitting your Personal Statements and an Application Form

 
The final stages of the application process are to:
  • complete, sign and send the Application Form and Referee Declaration Forms in hard copy
  • e-mail the personal statements
Application Form and Referee Declaration Forms
 
The Application Form asks for:
  • an indication of the areas that the applicant has chosen to submit evidence on
  • summary details of the referees chosen
  • an update on any complaints since submitting the Fellowship Registration Form
Applicants must send the form in hard copy to the Fellowship Unit, together with the appropriate number of completed Referee Declaration Forms. The final instalment of the fee (£450) is not due until the candidate has been recommended as a fellow to Council, or until the period of two years from the date of application has expired. (When this final instalment is due, please make cheques payable to the Royal College of General Practitioners.)
 
Once this information has been received, the Fellowship Unit will send an email outlining how to submit the Personal Statements.
 
Personal Statements
 
Personal Statements should outline what the Member has done under each achievement category and will form the basis on which a decision to award Fellowship is made. A form is available for each achievement category and applicants must provide one form per category.
 
These forms require the applicant to provide
  • their Personal Statement
  • the name of their referee
These forms are submitted electronically, either on disc or by email to the Fellowship Unit at fellowship@rcgp.org.uk.
 
Applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail from the Fellowship Unit upon receipt of all documentation.
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