nMRCGP Curriculum

The three year training program is based on the Royal College of General Practitioners Curriculum for General Practice

The full RCGP curriculum can be viewed  by clicking "RCGP Curriculum for General Practice"

The RCGP WPBA website can be viewed by clicking "RCGP WPBA"

The core documents underpinning Good Medical Practice and Doctors:

GMC documents

Good Medical Practice . Click here for a direct link to this document

Tomorrow’s Doctors. Click here for a direct link to this document

The RCGP document

Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners. Click here for a direct link to this document

Primary care management: 

Awareness of the range of values that may influence a patient’s behaviour or decision-making in relation to his or her illness

An understanding that co-morbidity or disease progression may affect decision-making capacity

The ability to recognise the ethical issues raised by public health programmes and develop appropriate approaches to their implementation.

An awareness of potential ethical difficulties and develop strategies to prevent or reduce the likelihood of conflict arising for themselves and for patients

Understand that all citizens should have equal rights to health, and equitable access to health and health information according to their needs

Understand that patients with learning difficulties are more prone to the effects of prejudice and unfair discrimination, and that doctors have a duty to recognise this within themselves, other individuals and within systems, and to take remedial action

Person Centred Care: 

Balance conflicting duties to individual patients who are members of the same family

Apply ethical guidance on consent and confidentiality

Patient autonomy is in essence a holistic approach. To enable a patient to make choices about how he or she wishes to live his or her life

Ensuring that the provision of care promotes the patient’s sense of identity and personal dignity, and that the patient is not discriminated against as a result of their age

Understanding moral, ethical and emotional issues at the end of life as well as after death

Problem solving skills:

An ability to draw on frameworks of moral and ethical reasoning to think through the issues and resolve conflicts of values. Includes:

Terminal care and the values that are important in management

Rationing and the concept of distributive justice that are used in resource allocation debates balancing individual patient needs against the needs of the wider community and the obligation to use public resources in a prudent manner to benefit the whole community

The ethical principles involved when treating an incompetent patient (e.g. unconsciousness), and when treating a patient who is unable to communicate (e.g. dysphasia)

the issues involved in genetic testing, such as confidentiality, testing children, and pre-symptomatic testing

An understanding of the legal framework within which healthcare decisions should be made

Personal values and attitudes:

To have awareness of ones own capabilities, values and feelings as important determinants of how one practices and to be able to justify ones personal ethics and its interactions on work and private life

To be non-judgemental

To appreciate religious beliefs

To be aware of factors that affect the doctor-patient relationship

To have awareness of the values and beliefs prevalent in the local culture and how the social context of primary care frames the identification and resolution of ethical issues by general practitioners

Demonstrate an awareness that their own attitudes and feelings are important determinants of how they manage:

     people who self-harm

     people who misuse drugs or alcohol

     people who know more about their illnesses than their doctors do

ethical dimensions of treatment and investigation choices, palliative and terminal care, and advanced directives

ethical principles and how they apply to cancer care and control.

personal attitudes and experiences that can affect their attitude towards patients with cancer or who are dying

The ability to offer spiritual care for the patient and carer(s) especially those patients with cancer

Ensure that a doctor’s own beliefs do not influence the content of the consultation and the management options offered to a patient

Demonstrate an awareness of the emotional impact of a genetic diagnosis on a patient and his or her family, particularly associated with guilt about ‘passing on’ a condition

Males

Recognise that men may be less articulate about their health compared with women, and describe strategies to compensate for this during the consultation.

Explain the impact of gender on individual cognitions and lifestyle, and formulate strategies for responding to this. For example, some men may have limited control over lifestyle choices, such as those from low socio-economic groups, or living with an addiction.

Recognise that men from different cultural backgrounds have widely different attitudes towards health and expectations of the doctor. They may seem more dismissive about their symptoms than women, but be no less concerned.

Describe the particular difficulties that adolescent males have when accessing primary care services.

Detect whether the male patient wishes to see a doctor of the same sex and arrange this where practical and appropriate.

Demonstrate a non-judgemental, caring and professional consulting style to minimise embarrassment of male patients

Understand changing gender roles that men are expected to conform with and Recognise the importance of the parental fathering role in family structures

Eyes

Recognise that patients with visual impairment may have difficulty receiving written information and accessing healthcare services and implement measures to overcome these obstacles to effective health care

ENT and Facial

Appreciate the impact of deafness on people’s lives. ‘Blindness separates people from things. Deafness separates people from people.

Drugs and Alcohol

Demonstrate an awareness of the vulnerability of children whose parents are drug users and understand the role that the child may adopt as carer in such circumstances.

Women's health

Recognise the prevalence of domestic violence and question sensitively where this may be an issue

Recognise the needs of lesbian or bisexual women,

Sexual health

Describe common presentations of sexual dysfunction and of sexual violence and abuse, including covert presentations such as somatisation

Research:

To understand the ethical principles that underpin the conduct of medical research and gaining ethics approval for research

Cultural Attitude

Aware of ethnicity, social class and geography, social deprivation and failings in service provision that may occur

Facilitate patients’ access to sources of social support for the visually impaired child: the ‘statementing’ process for children with special educational needs schooling requirements and role of peripatetic teachers

career guidance for visually impaired children

Facilitate patients’ access to sources of social support for visually impaired adults: RNIB, talking-book services , Social Services, local services low vision aids.

Identify patients for whom resuscitation or intensive care might be inappropriate and take advice from carers and colleagues.

Demonstrate an ability to deal sensitively and in line with professional codes of practice with people who may have a serious diagnosis and refuse admission.

Deal with situational crises and manipulative patients, avoiding the inappropriate use of healthcare resources.

Understand the different cultural expectations regarding sexual behaviour and orientation

Describe the importance of confidentiality, informed choice and valid consent

Ensure that the doctor’s own beliefs, moral or religious reservations about any contraceptive methods or abortion and about sexual behaviour and practices do not adversely affect the management of a patient’s sexual health

Personal health and probity

Understand the need for GPs to have personal management plans for how they manage their own mental health

Understand the need for reflective practice

DVLA and driving restrictions

Understand the legal implications of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 including the need for ‘reason­able adjustments’.

With regard to the elderly: An understanding of legal issues that may arise, e.g. confidentiality, Mental Health Act, power of attorney, court of protection, guardianship, living wills, death certification and cremation.

Describe the issues relating to the use of chaperones

Mental Health Act

Demonstrate knowledge of the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) and how it impacts on health professionals in their treatment of drug users.

Knowledge of the social benefits and services available to patients and carer(s). This covers patients with cancer, disability, handicapped, etc

Legal aspects relating to sexual health including termination of pregnancy and the methods used in the UK

Legal aspects of providing contraception and sexual health in under-16s (including child protection)

Describe the exemptions from prescription charges for patients with metabolic conditions.