The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, based in the UK and with international reach, is a collaboration between the:
- Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
- Royal College of Physicians
Collectively, the colleges represent more than 50,000 physicians worldwide. For physicians in the UK and globally, the colleges provide an invaluable professional network, opportunities to share best practice and ongoing educational opportunities.
The Federation develops and delivers services to support doctors at every stage of their careers, including:
- Examinations (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK – MRCP(UK))
- Training (Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board – JRCPTB)
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
MRCP(UK)
MRCP(UK) develops and delivers examinations and qualifications around the world.
Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (UK) Diploma consists of the MRCP(UK) Part1, MRCP(UK) Part 2 and PACES examinations. It is designed to test the skills, knowledge and behaviour of doctors in training.
JRCPTB
JRCPTB improves patient care by setting and maintaining standards for the highest quality of physician training in the UK Activities and services include curriculum design and implementation, certification of trainees, development of the ePortfolio, gathering and providing evidence to the GMC to enable it to award a CCT and approving overseas training programmes.
CPD
The CPD team deliver the CPD diary and Physicians’ CPD app resources for over 19,000 Consultant/SAS grade Physicians as membership benefits for the three Federation Colleges. Once a trainee reaches their CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) and becomes a Consultant, they are expected to shift towards self-directed learning. These CPD resources assist clinicians in being able to record their educational activity, reflect on its’ relevance to their scope of practice and produce a report to aide their appraisal. The CPD department also oversee the CPD approval of around 4,500+ activities per year (including live events and e-learning modules).
International activities
Internationally, the MRCP(UK) portfolio of postgraduate medical examinations are regarded as valuable qualifications. To find out more about our international activities view the International brochure.
The Federation is responsible for the following postgraduate medical examinations:
Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (UK) Diploma
This qualification is designed to test the skills, knowledge and behaviour of doctors in training. The MRCP(UK) Diploma has been approved by the General Medical Council (GMC) as the knowledge-based assessment for core medical training, and the successful completion of the entire three-part examination is a requirement for physicians wishing to undergo training in a medically related specialty in the UK. Internationally, the MRCP(UK) Diploma is also a valued professional distinction in many other countries.
Specialty Certificate Examinations (SCEs)
These qualifications have been developed in close collaboration with the UK specialist societies. Physicians in UK training must pass the appropriate SCE, in addition to successfully completing an approved specialty training programme, in order to gain admission to the GMC Specialist Register. Success in the SCE certifies physicians as having sufficient knowledge of their specialty to practise safely and competently as consultants. The SCEs are a requirement for specialist physicians in the UK and they are gaining recognition internationally. The examination provides an international benchmark for postgraduate medical education.