Royal College of Physicians - Membership and Fellowship

Membership and Fellowship

The MRCP(UK) postnominals are obtained by doctors who have passed the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians examinations, held jointly with the other UK Royal Colleges of Physicians. Holders of the MRCP(UK) are entitled to become "Collegiate Members" of the London College (using the additional post-nominals MRCP(Lond)) and/or of the other two UK colleges. Affiliate Membership is a similar level of membership as Collegiate membership, but is awarded to doctors without MRCP(UK). Both Collegiate Members and Affiliate Members may be considered for advancement to the Fellowship. The College also has Associate, Medical Student and Foundation Doctor levels of membership.

Fellows (who use the postnominals FRCP) are elected mostly from the general Membership (Collegiate or Affiliate), but also occasionally from among the members of the more specialised faculties within the Royal Colleges of Physicians, e.g. Occupational Medicine (MFOM), Pharmaceutical Medicine (MFPM), and Forensic and Legal Medicine (MFLM), etc. There are also Fellows who are elected de jure (usually medical experts from other countries), and honoris causa (dignitaries, members of the Royal Family, etc.).

The diploma of Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) is no longer awarded. The LRCP qualification used to be reserved for medical graduates, in practice mainly Bachelors of Medicine from Oxford and Cambridge, but in the mid-nineteenth century became part of a very popular initial qualification in medicine awarded together with the MRCS (Eng) by the Conjoint Board, which, by the end of the twentieth century came to be largely taken by overseas graduates. From 1993 the LRCP was awarded together with the LRCS and LMSSA through the United Examining Board until this pathway to medical registration was abolished in 1999.