Post Mrcp Fellowship

[Rosangela Pinkard]

WhenI finished my mbbs and was about to start internship, i had three pathways from which to choose. One was go for a higher degree in one of the basic subjects(had genetics in mind), the other was to go for public health and the third was pursuing a career in clinical medicine. Thanks to all the seniors around me, I actually had the privilege Alhamdulillah to be very well informed about all these opportunities so I could take a very well informed decision, whatever pathway I chose. For this, I will always remain grateful to my seniors.

The next question is, what then after MRCP? This has been a problem, especially off late given the fact that BMDC is so negative towards it. But in spite of the fact they have stopped giving recognition to MRCP, both the private and public institutions are still offering jobs as specialists/junior consultants to mrcp holders. Even in Dhaka medical college hospital, recently a junior consultant post was given to someone who held only MRCP degree.

But there is also the risk that we might enter a place in BD as a specialist/junior consultant but then see ourselves stagnate out in that position for years to come. So we need to find out what to do next after MRCP.

Thankfully, there are different ways-

1. Continuing unpaid training and pursue one of the national degrees like FCPS. That is what a lot of MRCP holders do but then again, some people do not want to continue unpaid training because of financial reasons.

2. Get a job somewhere in a private institution(if we are not a govt. doctor) as a specialist, keep on working there and try to get some higher foreign degrees. The Royal College now runs specialty certificate examination(SCE) in various sub specialties and we can always give one of those exams in the sub specialty we are working. If we are working in internal medicine, we can give the SCE exam in acute medicine which has great demand now. SCEs are not recognized by BMDC but like i sed, so is not MRCP but in Bangladesh, any foreign degree that you have tends to count. SCE exam is a written exam held in Bangladesh too.

3. Apply for the Membership of American College of Physicians. Once we become a member of the ACP, the earliest it takes us to become a fellow of the ACP(earning the post nominal FACP) is two years. Go to the ACP website and you can find it clearly explained about what you need to do after becoming a member to obtain the fellowship. The FACP fellowship is a very prestigious fellowship held with great esteem all round the world and it can help you get good jobs and proceed in your career.

4. Like a lot of my senior bhaiyas and apus, we can go to UK and start working there with a view to landing a training post there. Once we land a training post, we get out after around 4-5 years with a CCT degree and then that should mean great opportunities as a consultant ahead.

5. Look for the FRCP fellowship. Again that is a very prestigious fellowship held with great esteem all round the world. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh gives the FRCP Edin Fellowship to members of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh(any one with the MRCP degree can become a member) to people who have been consultants for 11 months or more. The Royal College of Physicians of London is more flexible with the awarding of the fellowship. If we hold an MRCP degree for more than 10 years, we can directly apply for the fellowship but we need to get yourself ready for that in the next 10 years. We can also apply for the fellowship once we have worked as a consultant for at least around 3 years and some fellow of the Royal College nominates us for that. We can get more information if we go to the websites of the royal college of physicians of london and the royal college of physicians of edinburgh or the royal colllege of physicians of glasgow.

For medical graduates, postgraduation is the game-changer. While the options are aplenty, MRCP and MD are among the most popular PG courses after MBBS. Here is a simple guide explaining the choices, the scope, and the salary for a student with an MBBS degree.

MD in General Medicine is a two-year (can be three years in some colleges) PG course that delves deep into medicine. The minimum score required to secure a seat in a college varies from one institution to another. Students are required to review the eligibility criteria set by institutions and prepare hard accordingly.

In general, doctors apply for jobs in government after completing MD in General Medicine to become a physician or have their setup for practicing medicine. In government setups, doctors can earn starting from 3 -10 LPA depending upon the state where they work, their rank, and the skillset they possess. Within the framework, the government conducts various exams; upon clearing which doctors get promoted with a higher salary. One of the major advantages of working at government hospitals is that it provides job security more than private hospitals.

Besides opportunities within the country, physicians can also choose to do residency programs or fellowship programs in the US that requires passing USMLE. For practicing in the UK, doctors should clear PLAB. And for Australia, candidates need to clear the written test conducted by the Australian Medical Council. The pay scale is also better than in Indian hospitals.

Yet another popular choice is Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP). It is a globally recognized diploma and specialty certificate examination. Candidates taking the exam outside of London should have at least 12 months of postgraduate experience in a medical setup with proper qualifications.

Doctors can obtain the GMC registration in the United Kingdom after clearing IELTS. MRCP-certified doctors can also work in other countries upon fulfilling the criteria of registration to practice medicine.

Candidates who clear MRCP exams get recruited in the ST3 criteria of Specialty training. Upon going to the ST6 level, Specialty Certificate Examinations (SCEs) gets conducted. After clearing, doctors receive the Specialist Certification (CCT) and thereby get qualified as consultants. The basic salary range for ST3 begins from 47,132.00, and the gross salary could go up to 63,260 per annum in NHS.

The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1518, as the College of Physicians, the RCP is the oldest medical college in England.

The RCP's home in Regent's Park is one of the few post-war buildings to be listed at Grade I. In 2016 it was announced that the RCP was to open new premises in Liverpool at The Spine, a new building in the Liverpool Knowledge Quarter.[3] The Spine opened in May 2021.[4]

The college was incorporated as "the President and College or Commonalty of the Faculty of Physic in London" when it received a royal charter in 1518, affirmed by Act of Parliament in 1523. It is not known when the name "Royal College of Physicians of London" was first assumed or granted.[5] It came into use after the charter of 1663,[6] and was used to make reference to the college in the Medical Act 1858.[5] It was legally authorised as the college's corporate name by the Royal College of Physicians of London Act 1960, the function of which was primarily to move the premises of the college outside the cities of London or Westminster to Regent's Park).[5]

The college was based at three sites in the City of London near St Paul's Cathedral, before moving to Pall Mall East (overlooking Trafalgar Square), and then to its current location in Regent's Park.[8]

The first Harveian Librarian was Christopher Merret, a fellow of the college and a friend of Harvey. He was set up with a lifetime appointment that compensated him with room and board and a small stipend. In 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed many of the rooms and most of the books, so they tried to break the contract with Merret, but he fought them at the King's Court, claiming it was a lifetime appointment. He eventually lost the case, was expelled from the Fellowship, had to seek private lodgings and return the books he had rescued from the fire.[9] [10]

The college became the licensing body for medical books in the late seventeenth century, and sought to set new standards in learning through its own system of examinations. The college's tradition of examining continues to this day and it is still perhaps how the college is best known to the general public.

The MRCP(UK) postnominal is used by doctors who have passed the examinations for the Diploma of Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom, which are held jointly by all of the UK Royal Colleges of Physicians.[12] Holders of the MRCP(UK) may also become "Collegiate Members" of the London College (using the additional post-nominal MRCP(Lond)) and/or of the other two UK colleges. Affiliate membership of the Royal College of Physicians is a similar level of membership as collegiate membership, but is awarded to senior doctors without MRCP(UK). Both Collegiate Members and Affiliate Members may be considered for advancement to fellowship of the college.

The library aims to support the learning and information needs of the members, students, and staff of the college. The unique collections may also used for research by members of the public. An enquiry service provides information on the current role and functions of the RCP as well as its history.[15] The library holds books on a range of subjects including:

In December 2020 the college's Board of Trustees (BoT) discussed in detail the RCP's financial position, which, like so many charities, had been impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. All aspects of RCP activity had come under review and a range of cost reduction and income generation options considered, including the possible sale of non-medical books from its collection. The BoT recognised that this had caused concern for some quarters of the membership and agreed to delay such a sale for the immediate future.

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