GP
General practitioners (GPs) are doctors who provide medical services to people in their local community.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- give general health advice to patients in person or on the phone
- diagnose patients' symptoms and refer to specialist consultants if needed
- prescribe medicines, recommend treatments and carry out minor surgery
- do research and help to train other healthcare professionals
- organise and lead clinics for specific groups of patients or medical conditions
Working environment
You could work at a GP practice, at a health centre or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- run a shared practice or specialise in an area like sports medicine, diabetes or children's health
- move into medical work in hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, the police or the prison service
- work overseas or in medicine for the Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy
- teach students training to be GPs or go into clinical research
- become a member of a local medical committee or clinical commissioning group to get involved in local health issues
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of medicine
- science skills
- knowledge of psychology
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
How to become
You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.
To become a GP you'll need to complete:
- a degree recognised by the General Medical Council which takes 5 years
- a foundation course of general training which takes 2 years
- general practice specialist training which takes 3 years
If you already have a degree in a science subject, you could do a postgraduate degree in medicine which takes 4 years.
If you do not have any science qualifications, you might be able to do a degree in medicine which takes 6 years and includes a pre-medical year.
Entry tests
When you apply for a course in medicine, you may be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).
You'll be tested on skills like critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, communication and scientific knowledge.
Work experience
Medical schools will also expect you to have some paid or voluntary work experience in healthcare.
You can get information on how to get medical work experience from the British Medical Association.
You could also use Observe GP which is a free online alternative to work experience created by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- at least 5 GCSEs grades 9 to 7 (A* or A), including English maths and sciences
- 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology and chemistry
More Information
You might be able to do a doctor degree apprenticeship which will take around 5 years to complete.
The apprenticeship is recognised by the General Medical Council.
You could then progress to the foundation course of general training before completing the specialist training in general practice.
Entry requirements
Employers will set their own entry requirements.
More Information
Registration
- after your training you'll need to join the General Medical Council GP Register, and apply for a licence to practise as a doctor
Career tips
The General Medical Council has a guide on what it means to be a good doctor. You might find this useful when preparing for medical school interviews.
You can use online resources to find out more about the types of interviews you can expect to get into for medical school.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the British Medical Association for professional development and training opportunities.
Further information
You can find out more about becoming a GP from Health Careers and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.