RCGP announces new membership package for trainees
GP trainees will be able to take up membership
of the Royal College of General Practitioners at the beginning of
their careers, with the introduction of a new benefits package
announced this week.
Associates in Training (AiT) is a new category
of College membership for doctors in Specialty Training Programmes
for General Practice. Introduced next month (August 2007), it
builds on the current membership arrangements but has been updated
and enhanced to incorporate the assessment elements of the new
College exam, the nMRCGP, and new GP training curriculum.
Practical benefits including access to a
dedicated New Professionals website and College information
services are also part of the package.
From August 2007, all trainees must complete
the new RCGP assessment process in order to obtain their
certificate of completion of training so the RCGP College felt it
was appropriate to create a new seamless system of College
membership for trainees at the outset of their careers and boost
the range of benefits offered to them.
Trainees will choose one of four AiT options,
based on their circumstances. Benefits will be available for the
duration of their training and trainees will be able to spread the
costs of the package during that period. Doctors who successfully
complete the requirements for membership will be migrated from AiT
to Member with no additional paperwork or fee payable until the
following subscription year.
Key features of each AiT package
include:
· An e-portfolio account
for the Work Place Based Assessment
· Certification
· Access to on-line
learning support
· Discount on College
preparation courses for the nMRCGP
· Reduced fees on the
cost of sitting the Applied Knowledge Test and Clinical
Skills Assessment components of the nMRCGP
assessment
· Subscription to an AiT
College publication (linked to the curriculum)
A number of other benefits have been developed
for AiTs, including a newsletter and the setting up of the New
Professionals website - a one-stop shop for links to the
curriculum website, assessment sections, careers information,
membership services and other information.
Via the New Professionals website, trainees
can create their record on the membership database and this will
populate information required for their e-portfolio account and
support the certification process. A helpline has also been
set up as a clear first point of contact and enquiries.
RCGP Chairman Professor Mayur Lakhani said:
“Trainees are the future and this is a landmark development. The
RCGP is determined to support GPs at all stages of their
professional life and this is an integral part of a continuum of
support. General practice is the place to be: we want to do
everything possible to ensure trainees and newly qualitified GPs
thrive in an exciting but challenging environment.
“The new AiT package offers a wide range of
financial and practical benefits to help them on their way to
becoming excellent family doctors and we will be relying on
feedback from our new Associates in Training to make future
improvements.”
ends
For further information, contact
press@rcgp.org.uk or telephone 020
7344 3135/6/7
Notes to Editors:
The five categories of RCGP membership
are:
Student Forum – currently being piloted
before roll-out in the autumn 2007
Associates in Training – for doctors in GP
Specialty Training
Associates – for practising doctors who have
not completed the College assessment
Members – for doctors who have completed
either the College exam (MRCGP) or Membership by Assessment of
Performance (MAP)
Fellows – members of more than five years who
meet the requirements for fellowship