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The two and a half Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom
(one each in London and Edinburgh, and a joint physicians’ and surgeons’
college in Glasgow) combined their membership examinations in 1969,
abandoning the special subject which formed part of the Edinburgh
qualification, and began issuing diplomas of Membership of the Royal
Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom - abbreviated as MRCP (UK) -
which obviated the need for junior doctors to take similar examinations
again and again to satisfy potential employers with strong local
loyalties. Diplomates could, if they wished, subscribe to one or more of
the colleges as “collegiate members,” but this was made public only in the
colleges’ minutes.
The Royal College of Physicians in Dublin, which has at times made
use of the UK examination materials but covers a wider range of
specialties in its examinations, awards its own diploma of MRCPI or MRCP
(Ireland).
The individual colleges in the UK continued to award their
memberships without examination to small numbers of medical practitioners
and a few others, often as a preliminary to elevation to the fellowship
(for those not distinguished enough for an honorary fellowship). These
diplomas retained the locality suffixed in brackets.
Until now there has been no easy way to tell who obtained a British
higher medical qualification through the back door, as it were, other than
by looking at the published membership registers.
In recent years many holders of the examined qualification have taken
to dropping the brackets and often simply put “MRCP” after their names.
The Royal College of Physicians of London decreed earlier this year
that its “Collegiate Members” could use the post-nominal abbreviations of
“MRCP (London)” as long as they remained collegiate members. They
recommended use of the formulation "MRCP (UK) MRCP (London)." More
recently the council of the Edinburgh college, having noted that both
London and Glasgow were offering their members new postnominals, resolved
to allow theirs to add MRCP (Edin).
As there is no extra examination for collegiate membership, the added
letters have little more significance than the FRSM (Fellow of the Royal
Society of Medicine) sometimes displayed by the authors of popular medical
works.
After their council meeting, the powers at the Edinburgh institution
decided that its collegiate members would use MRCPE instead, mirroring the
fellowship equivalent of FRCPE, as MRCP (Edin) remained associated with
the former local examination.
Thus members of the Edinburgh college who got their diploma without
examination will be distinguished by the addition of “din,” implying
“didn’t” to those few who are aware of this subtle distinction.
Transparency would be better served by adopting the proposal made
some thirty or more years ago, probably by Dr Michael O’Donnell in “World
Medicine,” of adding one of three suffixes to all Royal College
qualifications: (H) for honorary, (X) for examination or (OBN) for old boy
network.
The information age is upon us, and we are drowning in facts, but starving for
truth. Despite all the scientific and technological advances, our problems
remain the same, and our institutions are failing. Even worse, our
institutions are shirking their responsibility by covering up their failures with
hype, hoopla, razzle-dazzle, and misdirection. However, one bright spot is the
free and open internet, which has exposed and challenged the hegemony of
the stagey, elitist mainstream media. Now we need a plenipotentiary truth and
reconciliation commission that will provide us with full transparency and
accountability over our previously trusted institutions.
Transparency and Medical Diplomatosis
The two and a half Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom
(one each in London and Edinburgh, and a joint physicians’ and surgeons’
college in Glasgow) combined their membership examinations in 1969,
abandoning the special subject which formed part of the Edinburgh
qualification, and began issuing diplomas of Membership of the Royal
Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom - abbreviated as MRCP (UK) -
which obviated the need for junior doctors to take similar examinations
again and again to satisfy potential employers with strong local
loyalties. Diplomates could, if they wished, subscribe to one or more of
the colleges as “collegiate members,” but this was made public only in the
colleges’ minutes.
The Royal College of Physicians in Dublin, which has at times made
use of the UK examination materials but covers a wider range of
specialties in its examinations, awards its own diploma of MRCPI or MRCP
(Ireland).
The individual colleges in the UK continued to award their
memberships without examination to small numbers of medical practitioners
and a few others, often as a preliminary to elevation to the fellowship
(for those not distinguished enough for an honorary fellowship). These
diplomas retained the locality suffixed in brackets.
Until now there has been no easy way to tell who obtained a British
higher medical qualification through the back door, as it were, other than
by looking at the published membership registers.
In recent years many holders of the examined qualification have taken
to dropping the brackets and often simply put “MRCP” after their names.
The Royal College of Physicians of London decreed earlier this year
that its “Collegiate Members” could use the post-nominal abbreviations of
“MRCP (London)” as long as they remained collegiate members. They
recommended use of the formulation "MRCP (UK) MRCP (London)." More
recently the council of the Edinburgh college, having noted that both
London and Glasgow were offering their members new postnominals, resolved
to allow theirs to add MRCP (Edin).
As there is no extra examination for collegiate membership, the added
letters have little more significance than the FRSM (Fellow of the Royal
Society of Medicine) sometimes displayed by the authors of popular medical
works.
After their council meeting, the powers at the Edinburgh institution
decided that its collegiate members would use MRCPE instead, mirroring the
fellowship equivalent of FRCPE, as MRCP (Edin) remained associated with
the former local examination.
Thus members of the Edinburgh college who got their diploma without
examination will be distinguished by the addition of “din,” implying
“didn’t” to those few who are aware of this subtle distinction.
Transparency would be better served by adopting the proposal made
some thirty or more years ago, probably by Dr Michael O’Donnell in “World
Medicine,” of adding one of three suffixes to all Royal College
qualifications: (H) for honorary, (X) for examination or (OBN) for old boy
network.
Competing interests:
I have an MRCP (UK) diploma.
Competing interests: No competing interests