What does your specialty involve?
How do I get into your specialty?
How do I make myself competitive at Foundation and/or Core Training to get into your specialty?
What personal attributes do I need for your specialty?
How competitive is it to get a training post?
How long is the training after FY2 to CCT?
What postgraduate examinations will I need to work for during training?
Do I need to pass any postgraduate examinations at Core level to get into "run-through"?
Is your specialty stressful?
What are the best and worst aspects of your specialty?
I would like to have a family - is that possible while training in this specialty?
Is there any chance of Less Than Full Time Training in your specialty?
Is full time research mandatory duting training?
Are the hours anti-social?
What tips can you give on starting and advancing in your specialty?
What are the chances of a Consultant post after CCT?
What is the dropout rate during training?
Can I spend some of my time training abroad?
Can I work part time or job share as a Consultant?
Where can I get the best information about your specialty and the training programme locally and nationally?

What does your General Practice involve?

General Practice involves a 3 year ‘run through’ training programme after Foundation. This means that once you are recruited in to the first year ST1 you have a training placement for 3 years until ST3. There are currently plans to extend GP training to 5 years in the near future.
The training programme in Northern Ireland is made up of 2 parts – training in hospital posts approved for GP training for 18 months and training in a General Practice for 18 months.  [back to top]

How do I get into General Practice?

The recruitment process for General Practice is a national process managed by the National Recruitment Office

All applications are made through the NRO office online.  [back to top]

How do I make myself competitive at Foundation and/or Core Training to get into General Practice?

Since the recruitment process is carried out nationally you simply need to match the person specification for the post. This is available on the NRO website. You then go through a competitive assessment process which is standardised nationally. There are sample questions and material available on the NRO website as examples.

Choosing to participate in a GP post in your rotation in your  Foundation  programme will give you an opportunity to experience General Practice for a few months and help you decide if it is for you! It will not however advantage you during recruitment.  [back to top]

What personal attributes do I need for General Practice?

Again these are stipulated on the NRO website. Good communication skills are extremely important. Problem solving skills are also important including the ability to prioritise work and make decisions.
 
Key aspects of work in General Practice are uncertainty and dealing with it, complexity and practising holistically – looking at all aspects of patient care, physical mental and social wellbeing.  [back to top]

How competitive is it to get a training post?

In our most recent recruitment round we had 190 applicants for 65 training posts in Northern Ireland.  Entry to GP Training in Northern Ireland is particularly competitive.  If you are not recruited into a training post in Northern Ireland you may have the option to take up a training post in another UK Deanery.  [back to top]

How long is the training after FY2 to CCT?

Currently three years, but there are ongoing discussions to extend training to five years duration.  [back to top]

What postgraduate examinations will I need to work for during training?

To achieve a CCT in General Practice you must complete the nMRCGP examination. This has a number of components and you must pass them all as well as complete your time on the training scheme. The components include the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) and Work Placed Based Assessment (WPBA). There is more information available on the RCGP website.  [back to top]

Do I need to pass any PG examinations at Core level to get into ‘run through’?

No, General Practice is a ‘run through’ programme with no Core component.  [back to top]

Is your specialty stressful?

No more stressful than any other Specialty. Part of the training programme is about self management and how you can recognise and deal with stress.  [back to top]

What are the best and worst aspects of your specialty?

Best parts include the relationship between GPs and patients and other colleagues. The variety of practice is also attractive in that you can be a GP but develop a particular interest e.g. medical education, a clinical area such as diabetes, palliative care etc.  [back to top]

I would like to have a family –is that possible while training in this specialty?

Yes, you can have maternity leave whilst training.  [back to top]

Is there any chance of Less Than Full Time Training in your specialty?

Yes, we have a number of LTFT posts.   [back to top]

Is full time research mandatory during training?

No, research is not mandatory. However we have 2 research posts at ST3 level for 2 years.  [back to top]

Are the hours anti-social?

Not particularly. There is a requirement to do 36 hours in a 6 month period in ST2 and 72 hours in a 12 month period in ST3 in Out of Hours GP work. After getting your CCT you can opt out of providing Out of Hours GP service.   [back to top]

What tips can you give on starting and advancing in your specialty?

Once a trainee has achieved their CCT the majority do sessional or locum work in their area. This gives the GP a chance to experience different practice environments.  Most practices recruit new GPs in by their experience of them working in the practice.  [back to top]

What are the chances of a GP post after CCT?

There are currently approximately 1500 GPs working in Northern Ireland. Most GPs after training do locum work and currently there is a demand for locums in Northern Ireland. It is more difficult to get a permanent post but it is difficult to predict odds since there are so many variables.  [back to top]

What is the dropout rate during training?

Extremely low – a rare event!  [back to top]

Can I spend some of my time training abroad?

The training time in General Practice is very short – 3 years and is  a run through programme. It is unusual to have a request for an Out of Programme Experience in General Practice sanctioned by the Dean for these reasons. However, each application is judged on its own merit.  [back to top]

Can I work part time or job share as a GP?

Yes you can elect to work part-time either in a number of practices as a GP locum or in a particular practice.  [back to top]

Where can I get the best information about your specialty and the training programme locally and nationally?

The National Recruitment Office website has very useful information.

Also the Royal College of General Practitioners

In particular the GP training section and the document - ‘ So you want to be a GP’ would be of particular interest to you.  [back to top]