Advice for an aspiring GP

alisp

Since GP recruitment is mainly based on MSRA scores, do i really need to do much in med school and fy1/2?

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Reply 1

alisp

So I can just float through, no extracurriculars, publications and get the job? My day has been made. thanks

Reply 2

nexttime

I mean... research skills are nice to have... you might even make a big difference, bigger than a 'mere' clinician...

But no you don't have to lol.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by alisp

Since GP recruitment is mainly based on MSRA scores, do i really need to do much in med school and fy1/2?

Show up at the interview.

Any reason why IMT is also uncompetitive as compared to CST?

Reply 4

Democracy

Original post by Anonymous

Show up at the interview.

Better yet, score highly enough in the MSRA and bypass the interview entirely.

Original post by alisp

So I can just float through, no extracurriculars, publications and get the job? My day has been made. thanks

You don't need to do lots of CV building. It's certainly not a bad thing if you do though, just in case your priorities change in the future (even within GP), then suddenly that project you got involved with a few years ago and the publication you gained might come in handy. Remember that lots of GPs have portfolio careers nowadays.

You will obviously need to do well in the MSRA if you want to get your top choice of location and jobs.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 5

Jckc123

Original post by Anonymous

Show up at the interview.

Any reason why IMT is also uncompetitive as compared to CST?

Cst has only 600+ post which is fairly static as compared to medical SHO post which can be increased quite quickly and easily.
There were about 2800 applicants to about 1600 imt jobs this year. So not really competitive as compared to about ~2000 (rough estimate) for 600+ places for cst.
And IMT is essentially extra 2-3 years of being a F2 with some protected time for clinics and teaching. And med reg as what ecolier has said.... You're a dumping ground for any medical issues in the hospital.
It's good for me cos I have no clue on what to do specifically 😂

Reply 6

Jckc123

So sad yet true .
But you have to work for it to get the location and rotations you want at least.

Reply 7

Catchetat

Not sure I agree with that 100%. I have colleagues who applied to both GP and IMT but got rejected for IMT and got GP (which is a blessing in my opinion..., speaking as a medic with 3 years left before CCT) As a medic I personally think getting into GP route is much easier....

I know of a colleague who did MRCP Part 1 but didn't get into IMT... anyways

It's sad to see the state of the health service nowadays... I feel that GPs way outnumber specialty trainees and things are only going to get worse. It's quite frustrating as a medic as I feel we're really demoralised. I mean, why the heck do some deaneries offer the "golden ticket" for those joining GP land but not specialty trainees!?

Reply 8

nexttime

Original post by Catchetat

I mean, its the way we're structured. GPs gatekeep for the hospitals, so we need a lot of them.

Are you saying you'd rather the American system, where patients can directly refer themselves to specialists? I'm confused as to how you think it'd work if we just had fewer GPs and more specialists.

Reply 9

username402722

Good luck OP, we need GPs more than ever.

If you can find a receptionist or train one not to upset a large proportion of patients, you will be one of a rare breed.

Reply 10

Democracy

Original post by barnetlad

Good luck OP, we need GPs more than ever.

If you can find a receptionist or train one not to upset a large proportion of patients, you will be one of a rare breed.

I have to say, some of the encounters I've had with A&E patients who've confused me for a receptionist* while I've been stood behind the desk printing off forms makes me entirely understand why receptionists have to be assertive at times. Some members of the general public seem to completely forget their manners while on the phone or at the receptionist's desk then magically regain them when they see the doctor. This does not go unnoticed.

*Yep, some members of the public seem to think receptionists wear scrubs and have stethoscopes around their necks.

Reply 11

Ramipril

Original post by barnetlad

Good luck OP, we need GPs more than ever.

If you can find a receptionist or train one not to upset a large proportion of patients, you will be one of a rare breed.

Tbf even the best trained receptionist will probably end up undergoing a personality change once they have to deal with some of the best degenerates society has to offer.

Reply 12

Ghotay

Original post by nexttime

Playing devil’s advocate here, but do you think this is completely untenable? I’m not saying for all referrals, but maybe some. I mean patients already self-refer to lots of services - physio, counselling, midwives. Maybe GPs don’t need to gatekeep QUITE as much as they do. Obs&gynae seems like an obvious one where if they met certain criteria patients could probably self-refer

Reply 13

nexttime

Original post by Ghotay

We had to get a GP referral to a midwife. They didn't even repeat a pregnancy test - seemed a complete waste of time (for them, and for us - wife had to take like 3 hours out of work to attend.

However... in most cases I can't see this ending well at all! Even where the referral criteria might be quite clear-cut, I feel like people are a likely to lie on a self-referral form than they are face to face with a GP. Aren't there very long queues for counselling services? Maybe that wouldn't be the case if GPs were asked to prioritise...

Where services are free at point of access, you've got to be very very careful about what services you let patients refer themselves for ultimately.

Reply 14

fishfacesimpson

Agree there are a select few situations like midwife input that self referral may work. Otherwise a disaster waiting to happen. I hate the term 'gatekeeper'. GPs don't exist to stop secondary care seeing patients. They manage the majority of chronic health care as well as a lot of acute stuff too. The % of patients they refer is small because they manage a lot of what comes through their door independently, or take on management after some secondary input.

Reply 15

Helenia

Original post by nexttime

Lots of places have self-referral for midwives, I did second time. GP never saw me except for antiemetics prescription!

In Germany (and several other countries) all women have annual appointments with a O&G specialist (? necessary) who then does antenatal care for them if they get pregnant. So it's not totally unusual.

Reply 16

nexttime

Self-referrals to oncology... I'd definitely quit.

Reply 17

iceman_2.0

Original post by Catchetat

They must of been terrible candidates then!
I remember my cmt interview vividly...i told them i had no interest in acute medicine and was merely using cmt as a stepping stone to get into dermatology...i still got the job....
Fast forward 4 years i turned up to the gp interview in jeans and a t-shirt...i’m now a gp.
Don’t waste your time doing publications/research etc OP..just relax and sit back with the knowledge that GP is by far the most sensible choice

Reply 18

Anonymous #2

Original post by iceman_2.0

I mean, CMT (now IMT) is the way to get into dermatology so why would you not get the job?

Reply 19

iceman_2.0

Original post by Anonymous

I mean, CMT (now IMT) is the way to get into dermatology so why would you not get the job?

Given that i was one of only two males at the interview which was full of blondes and brunettes wearing short skirts may have something to do with it....or perhaps it was because they realised my motivation to be a dermatologist was the money and lifestyle....either way i’m glad i didn’t get in..you can make good money as a GP and have a cracking life so i got what i wanted without having to kiss ass and do more pointless publications! Let that be a lesson to all of you!