Today, (Wednesday, October 18), final year students at the University of Aberdeen’s Medical School will take a big step onto the first rung of their medical careers.
The students will begin registering with the GMC (General Medical Council) in preparation for their first job working with the public. Before being able to work in the UK every doctor must be registered with the GMC.
Registration Officers of the GMC will be checking documentation to confirm the identity of each student then taking a digital picture of the student to eventually be included on the medical register. These are important steps to guard against identity fraud.
Professor Hamish McKenzie, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medicine at the University of Aberdeen, said: “It’s always a pleasure to see our students emerge from all the triumphs and traumas of undergraduate life to become mature and competent professionals who make a significant contribution to the delivery of healthcare."
The GMC exists to protect patients and guide doctors in their work. It is responsible for maintaining the UK medical register, which provides important information for the public and employers on the qualifications of doctors in the UK.
The doctors registration information will be included on the GMC website in the List of Registered Medical Practitioners which shows where they gained their undergraduate medical qualification, any specialist registration held and whether they are qualified to work as a GP.
The List of Registered Medical Practitioners will also show any conditions, restrictions or suspensions placed on a doctor as a result of disciplinary action taken by the GMC.
The GMC is closely involved in medical education although today is the first time that students have dealt directly with the GMC their entire medical course has been based on GMC guidelines for undergraduate medical education and their course has been quality assured by the GMC to ensure that it is delivering what the profession and public expect.
Amanda Watson, Director of Education and Registration at the GMC, said: “Today these students take their first steps towards full registration with the GMC. They will be joining a medical register, which was first introduced in 1858 and has been maintained every year since by the General Medical Council. Registration means that these doctors will begin their careers treating patients to the standards of professionalism that the GMC sets out in our core guidance document Good Medical Practice”