Membership of the Royal College of Physicians

Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)) is a postgraduate medical diploma in the United Kingdom (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 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 in the Republic of Ireland.

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 recognised membership examination throughout the United Kingdom was recognised. Such an examination made it unnecessary for junior doctors to enter several membership examinations and removed the suggestion that the standards of the examination at the three Colleges were different.

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.

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