Fellowship

Fellowship is the highest level of membership of the Royal College of Physicians and comes with many benefits and responsibilities. Individuals cannot apply to be a fellow.

The RCP campaigns for change on your behalf, advising government and parliament, and takes part in national debates on medical, clinical and public health issues. We provide you with a forum to contribute via committees and working parties and create education programmes to provide you with the knowledge and skills you need for high performance.

The RCP offers regional and international support through a network of advisers and events, produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and audits to improve clinical care and sets standards of medical training.

Fellowship benefits

Fellowship benefits include:

• free access to the online CPD diary scheme, saving you £125 a year
• Clinical Medicine journal delivered to your door six times a year plus an online archive
• members' magazine Commentary six times a year, access to the online Commentary Community and regular e-updates
• access to over 1,000 e-journals via Athens including Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine, Medical Education and Medical Teacher – resources differ to NHS Athens account resources and are mostly educational and teaching based; plus, enjoy a growing collection of e-books covering public health, education, ethics, policy and research methods along with exclusive early access to RCP publications
• right to propose candidates to become RCP fellows
• right to vote for councillors, officers and to attend the AGM
• long-distance library services including literature services, document delivery and info requests
• discounts on RCP conferences (rates may vary) and 10% discount on RCP publications including national clinical guidelines and reports
• access to two RCP libraries with reading rooms, free Wi-Fi, dedicated study spaces and a range of library services
• use of William Harvey House accommodation in central London for fellows and their families
• use of RCP cafe, parking and mezzanine-level complimentary tea and coffee facilities
• use of fellows' quiet room – the Fulton Room
• use of FRCP postnominal.

How can I become a fellow?

Criteria for RCP fellowship (PDF) gives details of the criteria for fellowship.

There are two routes to fellowship:

1. Doctors who have held MRCP(UK) for four years or more, work in one of our mainstream specialties as a consultant in a substantive post for three years or more in the UK and who return their census workforce forms to the RCP, will automatically be entered into the fellowship election as a ‘criteria’ candidate. Census forms are sent to every consultant working in the UK for whom we hold a current work email address.
2. Doctors can be proposed by an existing fellow of the RCP (London only) who completes a proposal form on the doctor’s behalf. The RCP expects fellowship candidates to be working as a consultant in a substantive post (or equivalent abroad) for a minimum of three years. The proposal form can only be sent to the proposer and not to the candidate, as we do not allow self-proposal. The RCP stance is that if the doctor fulfils the criteria for fellowship, then they will already be known to a fellow of the RCP. We do not supply lists of fellows of the RCP to candidates.

There is no examination involved in becoming a fellow of the RCP.

Proposers should contact fellowshipqueries@rcplondon.ac.uk for a fellowship proposal form.

Timeline for fellowship

In any given year, the deadline for submitting a proposal form is 1 September for election to fellowship in March the following year. For example, a nomination form received on 20 August 2012, the candidate’s name will go forward to the election in 2013. A form received on 10 September 2012 and the candidate will go forward to the 2014 election.

Council meets in March when the final decision is taken about all the candidates. Successful candidates will be informed in April and the proposers of the unsuccessful candidates contacted. Please note the proceedings of Council are confidential.

If you are thinking of proposing an international colleague, but have concerns about their ability to pay, find out more about fellowship subscriptions and concessions in our payment information section.

Cost

Get your tax back

If you are a UK taxpayer, save 22–40% off the cost of your membership subscription.
To find out more about subscriptions and concessions please read our payment information.