Advice zone

Are there any courses or exams I should consider to enhance my application for GP training at specialty training year 1 level?

Authors: Rodger Charlton 

Publication date:  08 Dec 2007

This is a good question because general practice is becoming an increasingly popular option. I think you are right in considering what you can do to make your application stand out. A number of courses are available, and you can show your competence in a particular field by successfully completing an exam. Many certificate and diploma courses are available in primary health care and general practice, and some universities offer postgraduate awards which may comprise up to a third or more of a certificate. Similarly, there are courses in related disciplines such as palliative care and medical ethics.

You may wish to show an interest in medicine through study of the philosophy or history of medicine. Depending on your postgraduate clinical experience you may be eligible to sit a diploma in a subject such as child health, obstetrics and gynaecology, family planning, or geriatric medicine. However, these entail a lot of hard work and there are other things that would strengthen your application and help you to get noticed.

Had you thought of writing some articles for magazines such as BMA News or the GP newspapers, such as Doctor, General Practitioner, or Pulse? Perhaps you could submit a more academic paper to a journal such as Prescriber, the Practitioner, Update, or BMJ Careers or a piece for the back pages of the British Journal of General Practice. There are essay competitions you can enter or awards you can apply for through the Royal College of General Practitioners (www.rcgp.org.uk/news__events/prizes_and_awards/prizes_and_awards.aspx). Finally, if you have an interesting hobby, such as sport or music, put it on your application. All of these will make you a better doctor and hopefully help you to get shortlisted for general practitioner training.

Rodger Charlton GP and senior lecturer West Midlands