Baker M, Pringle M
Department of General Practice, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre.
Br J Gen Pract. 1995 Aug;45(397):405-7.
Fewer than half of the principals in general practice in the United Kingdom are members of the Royal College of General Practitioners. As the membership examination is closely linked to the endpoint of vocational training, a case can be made for another method of entry to the RCGP for established principals. Such a method could be membership by assessment.
A study was undertaken to examine the attitudes of existing members and fellows of the RCGP to membership by assessment and to determine whether there was any demand from general practitioner principals who were not RCGP members to join by this route.
One questionnaire was sent to all RCGP members and fellows in the Vale of Trent faculty area and another questionnaire was sent to those principals in general practice in the Vale of Trent faculty area who were not RCGP members.
In total, 396 (83%) of the 480 RCGP members and fellows responded, as did 543 (81%) of the 671 non-members in the faculty area. When asked if they were in favour of the concept of membership by assessment, 245 of the members and fellows replied yes (62%) and 138 replied no (35%). Of the non-members, 91 (17%) ahd previously been members of the RCGP; the main reason given by these general practitioners for relinquishing membership was that the annual subscription was too high (65% of 91 general practitioners). When the 451 general practitioners who had never been members were asked if they would be interested in joining the RCGP by an assessment method, 271 replied positively (60%).
There was widespread support from the members and fellows of the Vale of Trent faculty of the RCGP for the concept of membership by assessment. Principals in general practice in this area who had never been members of the RCGP showed a high degree of interest in joining by this method. Despite the caveats that must be applied, for example, to ensure that the standards are set appropriately, these results indicate that membership by assessment should be explored by the RCGP, and indeed a working party on the meaning of membership of the RCGP has been convened.
在英国，只有不到一半的普通全科医生是皇家全科医学院的成员。由于会员资格考试与职业培训的终点密切相关，因此可以为已成为资深医生的人提出另一种进入皇家全科医学院的途径。这种途径可以是通过评估获得会员资格。
开展一项研究，以调查皇家全科医学院现有成员和院士对通过评估获得会员资格的态度，并确定非皇家全科医学院成员的全科医生校长是否有通过此途径加入的需求。
向特伦特河谷教职员工区的所有皇家全科医学院成员和院士发送了一份问卷，并向特伦特河谷教职员工区普通执业的非皇家全科医学院成员的校长发送了另一份问卷。
480名皇家全科医学院成员和院士中共有396人（83%）回复，该教职员工区671名非成员中的543人（81%）也进行了回复。当被问及是否赞成通过评估获得会员资格的概念时，245名成员和院士回答是（62%），138人回答否（35%）。在非成员中，91人（17%）曾是皇家全科医学院的成员；这些全科医生放弃会员资格的主要原因是年度订阅费太高（91名全科医生中的65%）。当451名从未成为成员的全科医生被问及是否有兴趣通过评估方法加入皇家全科医学院时，271人给予肯定答复（60%）。
皇家全科医学院特伦特河谷教职员工区的成员和院士普遍支持通过评估获得会员资格的概念。该地区普通执业的从未成为皇家全科医学院成员的校长对通过这种方法加入表现出高度兴趣。尽管必须适用一些注意事项，例如确保适当设定标准，但这些结果表明皇家全科医学院应探索通过评估获得会员资格的方式，事实上，已经召集了一个关于皇家全科医学院会员资格意义的工作组。
