GMC Acceptable Postgraduate Qualifications

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the UK's independent body concerned with regulating doctors, and ensuring good medical practice in the UK. Its primary role and purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine in the UK.

UK law gives the GMC four main functions under the Medical Act 1983:

keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors
fostering good medical practice
promoting high standards of medical education and training
dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt.

The GMC accepts certain postgraduate qualifications as proof of sufficient evidence of a doctor's knowledge and skill, for the purpose of full registration with a licence to practise in the UK.

If a qualification is not on the list below then it is not acceptable for the purposes of full registration with a licence to practise.

Please note that you must be granted full registration with a licence to practise within three years of passing your postgraduate qualification or it will no longer be acceptable.

For more information on applying for registration with a licence to practise using your postgraduate qualification (PGQ) as evidence of knowledge and skill; please see the section on guidance on GMC website.

Acceptable UK Postgraduate Qualifications

Awarding Body	Qualification
College of Emergency Medicine	Membership of the College of Emergency Medicine (MCEM)
Royal College of Anaesthetists	Primary FRCA examination
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists	Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MROG)
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health	Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Pathologists	Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) by examination only
Royal College of Physicians of London Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow	Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP)
Royal College of Psychiatrists	Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych)
Royal College of Radiologists	Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR)
Royal College of Surgeons of England Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow	Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) Collegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS)

Acceptable Overseas Postgraduate Qualifications

Country	Awarding Body	Qualification
America	American Board of Pediatrics (APP)	Fellowship examination (Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics)
	American Boards of Internal Medicine	US Boards of Internal Medicine
	American Board of Anaesthesiology	Certificate of the American Board of Anaesthesiology
	American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists	American Board of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Parts I and II
Australia/New Zealand	Royal Australasian College of Physicians	Passed the written and clinical exams for FRCAP (Paediatrics)
	Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists	Passed the written and clinical exams for Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
	Royal Australasian College of Physicians	Passed both the written and clinical exams for Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Part 1

The Australian specialist training programme is 6 years long. After basic training lasting 3 years candidates sit written and clinical examinations. Doctors then undertake a further 3 years training - Fellowship is only awarded after successful completion of this training. If the doctor has passed both the written and clinical examinations or obtained their Fellowship within the last three years, this is acceptable evidence of a postgraduate qualification.

	Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)	Passed the written, clinical and oral examinations for Membership of RANZCOG
Bangladesh	Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons	Fellowship in Anaesthesia awarded since July 1999
Canada	Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada	Fellowship in Anaesthesia
	Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada	FRCPS Paediatrics Canada
	Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or Quebec	Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Europe	European Academy of Anaesthesiology or European Society of Anaesthesiology	European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Hong Kong	Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists	Fellowship in Anaesthesia awarded since January 2001
	Hong Kong College of Physicians	Membership of the Hong Kong College of Physicians
Ireland	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	MRCS (collegiate) examination MRCSI (intercollegiate) examination Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland Fellowship of the Faculty or the College of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
	Royal College of Physicians in Ireland	MRCP Medicine (Medicine of Childhood)
Pakistan	College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan	FCPS Paediatrics Pakistan
	College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan	Fellowship in Anaesthesiology awarded since 1998
	College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan	Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (Medicine)
Singapore	National University of Singapore	Master of Medicine (Anaesthesia)
	National University of Singapore	Master of Medicine (Paediatrics)
South Africa	College of Paediatrics in South Africa	FC Paediatrics
	College of Physicians South Africa	Fellowship of the College of Physicians South Africa
	College of Anaesthetists of South Africa	Fellowship of the College of Anaesthetists of South Africa
	College of Surgeons of South Africa or College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of South Africa	Fellowship of the College of Surgeons South Africa (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) or Fellowship of the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of South Africa
Sri Lanka	University of Colombo, Sri Lanka	Doctor of Medicine (Anaesthesiology)
	Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, Sri Lanka	MD (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
	Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo University	MD Paediatrics Sri Lanka
	University of Colombo	MD Colombo (Medicine)
West Africa	West African College of Physicians	Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians (Paediatrics)
West Indies	University of West Indies	DM Paediatrics West Indies
	University of West Indies	Doctor of Medicine (Anaesthesia) awarded since September 2003