BMJ 2005;330:1385-1387 (11 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7504.1385
Education and debate
GMC and the future of revalidation
Self regulation must be made to work
W Dale Dauphinee, executive director1
1 Medical Council of Canada, PO Box 8234, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1G 3H7 dale.dauphinee@mcc.ca
Self regulation is not magic: it requires substantive, defensible, and valid processes. The US and Canada show the importance of validation of all applications, every time they are used
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Introduction
Several high profile cases of poor medical practice in the United
Kingdom have brought self regulation into question. Pressure
for change is great, but experience from other Western countries
suggests that abandoning the existing systems is not the best
way forward. The United States and Canada both have well established
systems of self regulation that are being gradually adapted
to include a requirement for regular recertification. Although
the healthcare environment in the UK is somewhat different,
North America presents important lessons on how to ensure doctors
are competent.
Should we abandon self regulation?
Stacey, the distinguished British sociologist, has written extensively
about self regulation over the past two decades. In 1997, she
concluded that given the alternatives, it is, on balance, the
best option.
1 The prominent American sociologist Friedson has
come to similar conclusions, after having a different view several
years previously.
2 He argues that ideological attacks on professionalism
have distracted us from the fact
. . . [Full text of this article]
Experience of revalidation
Progress in the US
Canada's story
Lessons for the UK

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