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Curriculum and Assessment Site
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The RCGP Curriculum Introduction and User Guide

 

Competences

 

GPs have a number of fundamental generic attributes which are the deeper features of being a generalist. These underpin the many behaviours that we see GPs demonstrating in the wide variety of contexts in which they work. The 'core competences' which you will need to master in order to be a GP are grouped into six areas of competence and three essential features of you as a doctor. In the curriculum statements these are subdivided into specific learning outcomes. They are derived from the characteristics of general practice in the European Definition.

 

 

Areas of competence

      
 

1. Primary care management

is about how you manage your contact with patients, dealing competently with any and all problems that are presented to you. (This area of competence is not limited to dealing with the management of the practice.).

 

  

2. Person-centred care

is about understanding and relating to the context of your patients as individuals and developing the ability to work in partnership.

  
 

3. Specific problem-solving skills

is about the context-specific aspects of general practice, dealing with early and undifferentiated illness and the skills you need to tolerate uncertainty, and marginalise danger, without medicalising normality.

 

  

4. A comprehensive approach

is about how general practitioners must be able to manage co-morbidity, co-ordinating care of acute illness, chronic illness, health promotion and disease prevention in the general practice setting.

 

  
 

5. Community orientation

is about the physical environment of the practice population, and the need to understand the interrelationship between health and social care, and the tensions that may exist between individual wants and needs and the needs of the wider community.

 

  

6. A holistic approach

is about the ability to understand and respect the values, culture, family beliefs and structure, and understand the ways in which these will affect the experience and management of illness and health.

  

The learning outcomes in the six areas of competence have a common stem in the curriculum statements: 'This means that as a GP you should...'

Essential features of you as a doctor

These are personal features of you as a doctor and relate to factors which have an impact on your ability to deliver the competences in real life in your work setting:

 
 

1. Contextual features

are about understanding the context of yourself as a doctor and how it may influence the quality of your care. Important factors are the environment in which you work, including your working conditions, the community in which you live, your cultural background, and the financial and regulatory frameworks in which you have to work.

  

2. Attitudinal features

are about your professional capabilities, values, feelings and ethics, and the impact these may have on your patient care.

 

  
     

3. Scientific features

are about the need to adopt a critical and evidence-based approach to your practice, and maintaining this through lifelong learning and a commitment to quality improvement.

 

  
In the curriculum statements the learning outcomes for the three essential features are preceded by: 'Examples of this are...'   

 

Go to European Definition of General Practice page

Go to the Core Statement Being a GP (pdf)

 

Go to Competences page

 

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