26.09.14
GMC to introduce ‘passport to practise’ exam for all medical graduates
The General Medical Council (GMC) is to introduce a single national licensing examination (NLE), which all medical graduates will need to take in order to get onto the UK medical register.
The regulator stated that this decision marks the first step to a unified ‘passport to practise’ for doctors wishing to practise in the UK, and the exam will be designed to give patients assurance about the competence and quality of those treating them – regardless of where they received their training.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, said: “This is the start of a process that, if we get it right, will create a level playing field for entry into medicine in the UK.
“There is plenty of detail to be worked out, but today we begin discussions about how to develop a single ‘passport to practise’.”
GMC will begin to consider the content of the exam in June 2015 in conjunction with the Medical Schools Council, Health Education England and Education Scotland. It will also work with doctors, patients, employers and educators to develop the exam.
However, at the moment, the there is no indication of when the exam will begin.
If, and when, the NLE is implemented the exam will replace the current entrance examination for international medical graduates, PLAB (Professional & Linguistics Assessment Board). It would also mean all graduates, regardless of their place of qualification, would need to undertake and pass the NLE in order to register with the GMC.
Currently, there are various different routes to registration with a licence to practise in the UK. For example, medical graduates have to pass the PLAB test before they can apply for a registration to practise if:
- They’re a national of a country outside the UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland who graduated from a medical school outside the UK;
- Or they are a UK national who has graduated from a medical school outside the UK, EEA or Switzerland;
- They do not have EC rights; or
- They do not have one of the following: a sponsorship under an arrangement approved by the GMC, an approved postgraduate qualification, or eligibility to enter the GP or specialist register.
In response to the GMC agreement to develop a single NLE, Harrison Carter, co-chair of the BMA's Medical Students Committee, said: “This proposal could successfully provide equal opportunities for those entering into medicine in the UK and could work to reassure patients that those treating them, regardless of where they have trained, are competent and able.”
She added, however, that the regulator must ensure that medical students are not subjected to excessive examinations which could distract them from essential medical training.
NHS Employers has also welcomed the GMC’s decision. Gill Bellord, director of employment relations at the organisation, said: “This examination will set a welcome common standard. We look forward to working with the GMC to help the examination provide the right level of assurance for employers, ensuring that all doctors have the core knowledge and aptitude to do their job well.
“Employers will welcome this development and I am sure patients will too, as it will help to drive up standards and provide consistency.”
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