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The Different GP Qualifications & Fellowships Explained

Female doctor sitting at desk smiling

There are a number of different qualifications GPs can undertake. Some of them are mandatory in order to be able to achieve registration and practice as a GP, and some of them are additional qualifications to show GPs have reached the highest standards of trainings. Some common GP qualifications and their acronyms are explained below:

FRACGP

The Fellowship of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners or FRACGP is a qualification represents excellent in general practice. Successful attainment of the FRACGP qualification allows GPs to work

 

unsupervised in general practice, and also be recognised as a Fellow through a reciprocal arrangement with New Zealand, Ireland and Canada.

FACRRM

The Fellowship of Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine or FACRRM is a qualification from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), and is accredited by the Australian Medical Council to set professional medical standards for training, assessment, certification and continuing development in the general practice specialty. The training program for the FACRRM qualification takes around four years to complete and typically leads to more job opportunities through developing the skills and ability to work in any environment.

FARGP

The Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice is a qualification awarded by the RACGP in addition to vocational Fellowship. The qualification aims to develop advanced skills and teach about specific health needs of rural and remote communities. The FARGP cannot be undertaken as a stand-alone qualification and is completed via an interactive online learning platform through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

FRNZCGP

The Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners or FRNZCGP is a qualification from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP), and is the professional body and postgraduate institute for general practitioners in New Zealand.

MICGP

The Member of the Irish College of General Practitioners or MICGP is a qualification from the Irish College of General Practitioners (IECGP), which is responsible for education, training and standards in general practice in Ireland. The MICGP qualification, as with MRCGP below, may be used to work as a GP within Australia under the Specialist Pathway Program, part of a national agreement and registration process which provides pathways for International Medical Graduates according to their previous training and experience.

MRCGP

The Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners or MRCGP is a qualification from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), which is the professional body for general practitioners in the United Kingdom. Successful attainment of the MRCGP postgraduate medical qualification confirms that a doctor has satisfactorily completed speciality training for general practice and is competent to enter independent practice in the United Kingdom. It is a mandatory requirement for newly qualifying GPs in the UK.

CCFP

The Certificant of the College of Family Physicians is granted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and is open to College members who have either successfully completed an approved residency training program in family medicine or a combination of training and practice experience according to the eligibility guidelines.

Which qualification(s) you need to undertake in order to practice as a GP will depend on your employment location and the type of position held. If you are an International Medicate Graduate seeking to work or migrate to Australia, note that applications for professional registration are assessed on a case-by-case basis by the relevant Medical Board in each State or Territory. Non-specialist doctors may be eligible for limited registration.