Membership Of The Royal Colleges Of Physicians Of The United Kingdom
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Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)) is a postgraduate medical diploma in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
(UK). The examinations are run by the Federation of the Medical Royal Colleges – the
Royal College of Physicians of London 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 ph ...
, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The three Royal Colleges of Physicians share this common three part assessment in general medicine which consists of two written parts and one clinical examination. Examinations are held throughout the UK and in overseas centres. Holders of the MRCP(UK) can subscribe as "collegiate members" to any or all of the three UK Royal Colleges of Physicians. Thus the MRCP(UK) qualification has replaced the former MRCP(Lon), MRCP(E), and MRCP(G) qualifications. (Similarly, the MRCS is also now intercollegiate.) There is a separate MRCPI qualification, run by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, based in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in the Republic of Ireland.


History

The three Royal Colleges of Physicians have been holding membership examinations for many years. In the London College the Censors, helped by other examiners, had the duty to carry out the assessment of candidates and advise the College. The MRCP (London) examination began in 1859 with a numerical marking system devised in 1893. In the late 1960s the need to have a single recognized membership examination throughout the United Kingdom was recognized. Such an examination made it unnecessary for resident doctors to enter several membership examinations and removed the suggestion that the standards of the examination at the three Colleges were different.


Aims and content

The exam incorporates both examination of the candidate's knowledge of basic medical sciences as well as testing the clinical skills required for the diagnosis and management of disease. Changes to the exam in recent years have put more emphasis on communication skills and professionalism. Obtaining the "MRCP(UK)" is a prerequisite to anyone wishing to go on to a specialist training post as a Physician in the United Kingdom. Various companies, including the Royal Colleges themselves, have developed preparatory courses that focus on the nature of the questions and the required background knowledge. In partnership with the relevant specialist societies, the three UK Royal Colleges have set up the MRCP Specialist Examinations Unit responsible for the organization of new knowledge based assessments. The ultimate objective is to ensure that NHS consultants have demonstrated their acquisition of sufficient knowledge in their chosen specialty to practice safely and competently. This will bring the assessment of physicians in training in the UK into line with those training in North America, where most specialist trainees sit a specialist examination as a further test of excellence, usually after having acquired certification in Internal Medicine.


Parts

The MRCP exam has three parts: MRCP Part 1 (written paper); MRCP Part 2 (written paper); and MRCP Part 2 Clinical Examination (PACES). The MRCP part 1 examination consists of multiple choice questions in the best of five format. Starting from September 2019 MRCP part 1 exam will be available in USA. The MRCP part 2 examination consists of multiple choice questions in the best of five format. The MRCP PACES examination consists of a carousel with 5 stations that were updated in 2023. * Station 1: Tests the candidate's communication and ability to examine the respiratory system. * Station 2: Tests the candidate's consultation skills. * Station 3: Tests the candidate's ability to examine the cardiovascular system and perform a neurological examination. * Station 4: Tests the candidate's communication skills and the ability to perform abdominal examination. * Station 5: Comprises a brief clinical consultation requiring the candidate to take a focused history and examination, formulate a differential diagnosis and management plan, and communicate the plan to the patient.


Countries hosting PACES

The MRCP PACES examination is held not only in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, but also in many other parts of the world. Hosting sites include
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
,
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
,
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
,
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
and
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
. Examination fees at centres outside the UK are significantly higher than at UK centres. In
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, the MRCP(UK) and MMed are often taken together. In
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, MRCP(UK) is taken with MHKCP intermediate examination.


Fees

At present, the examination cost is £1495 from start to finish if all parts are taken in the UK and £2390 if are taken overseas - assuming each examination is passed in a single attempt without attending any courses. Candidates may elect to participate in any of a number of training courses, online revision websites or use mobile applications as revision aids to improve their chances of passing.


References


External links

*{{Official website, http://www.mrcpuk.org/ Medical associations based in the United Kingdom Professional titles and certifications