Specialty including GP training

The GMC is responsible for setting and assuring standards for specialty including GP training leading to award of a Certificate of Completion of Training.

The Trainee Doctor sets out our standards and requirements relating to foundation and specialty including GP training and standards for deaneries. We have also published Standards for curricula and assessment systems (revised April 2010).

We assure these standards through:

• curriculum and assessment system approval
• prospectively approving all training programmes, posts and GP trainers
• quality assuring and evaluating the management of specialty including GP training through visits to deaneries
• dealing promptly with concerns that have not been resolved locally.

Approved specialties and sub-specialties

See the current list of approved curricula and assessment systems.

National professional examinations

Read about the GMC's position on examinations and the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

Less than full-time training

Further to our statement of October 2011, the GMC has issued additional position statements on academic training in a less than full-time setting, and on workplace based assessments and annual review of competency progression.

For details see:

• GMC position statement on less than full-time training - October 2011 (pdf)
• GMC additional position statement on academic training in a less than full-time setting - January 2012 (pdf)
• GMC additional position statement: Workplace based assessments and annual review of competency progression - February 2012 (pdf). 

Research on international specialties and sub-specialties

Read about the GMC's research on Specialties, sub-specialties and progression through training: the international perspective (pdf). A questionnaire was sent out to European and international regulators and a brief literature review was undertaken to create a more detailed picture of the international pathways through training and specialty structures.

Review of MRCGP exam results

The GMC has commissioned an independent data review into the pass rates for different groups of medical graduates taking the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) exams.

See the Terms of Reference for the MRCGP review (pdf) for details.