Becoming a GP

Specialist training for general practice aims to produce doctors who, on completion of training, will be able to provide personal and continuing care to individuals and families in the community. They will also have the management skills relative to primary care and be able to audit their work with a view to improving performance.

This section of the site looks at the journey a person takes, from deciding to be a GP, through training & certification and membership of the ICGP. It also supports those who organise and teach within training programmes in general practice in Ireland.

GP Training in Ireland

If you wish to train in Ireland you may apply for a general practice training post in one of the 14 GP training programmes. Posts are advertised each year in January. Doctors who have full registration on either the General or Trainee Specialist Division with the Medical Council are eligible to apply.

The application process takes place entirely online on the ICGP website. Training lasts 4 years. In general, the first two years are spent in approved hospital training posts, and the balance spent in general practice under the supervision of a general practitioner teacher.

At the end of formal training a certificate of satisfactory completion of training (CSCT) is issued by the training programme.

MICGP Examination

Parallel with training, four modules of the MICGP Examination must be undertaken. These modules are usually spread over the training period.

Membership of the ICGP

Doctors having satisfactorily completed training and who have passed all four examination modules are eligible to apply for membership of the ICGP.

Certification

Doctors who hold Membership of the ICGP may then apply for the Certificate of Specific Training/Acquired Rights in General Medical Practice, EU Directive 93/16 EEC (CSTAR) and also apply for entry onto the Specialist Register - Division of General Practice.

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