For the first time in its 493 year history, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has opened membership to medical students and foundation doctors.
The two new membership categories have been designed to help medical students and foundation doctors develop in their career and gain from the expertise within the RCP. A key focus of both new membership categories is to provide tools and guidance for doctors progressing from the university teaching environment to hospital wards and eventually to core and specialty training.
At a time of NHS reform, the RCP also hopes to work with medical students and foundation doctors to give them a voice and nurture a future generation of leaders.
The new membership categories come partly in response to the 2010 report 21st Century Doctor: Understanding the doctors of tomorrow. The report, jointly published by the RCP, General Medical Council, King’s Fund, University of Liverpool, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and Student BMJ, called for more to be done to help medical students acquire the skills they will need to become future leaders of the health service.
RCP medical student or foundation doctor members will benefit from:
- free web streamed teach-ins and lectures
- access to RCP resources including, the Clinical Medicine journal, lesson of the month case reports and library services
- discounts on RCP conferences and products including the Medical Masterclass MRCP(UK) revision products for foundation doctors
- careers information drawn from expertise in 30 medical specialties represented by the RCP
- guidance on learning and medical practice through how to guides and online forums
- medical elective funding opportunities for medical students.
The RCP is also looking at ways to help foundation doctor members gain points on their foundation programme applications and core medical training applications through presentation prizes and article competitions.
RCP treasurer, professor Linda Luxon, said:
We would like to encourage medical students and foundation doctors to think about the fantastic possibilities of a career in medicine and feel it is important to use our resources to advocate the physician career path.
We will support students and foundation doctors to explore the issues that surround medical professionalism, ethics, leadership and healthcare management. We can provide them with insights into the professional issues and challenges that lie ahead.
President of the RCP, Sir Richard Thompson said:
At a time of huge reform and change within the NHS, it is even more important to give a voice to younger doctors as they will inherit the medical profession we are helping to shape.
Membership for medical students is £1 per month, and foundation doctor membership is £4 per month.
For further information, please contact Andrew McCracken, RCP Communications and New Media Adviser, on +44 (0)203 075 1354 / 07990 745 608, or email andrew.mccracken@rcplondon.ac.uk