Annual Salary
£70,000 to £114,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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General practitioners (GPs) are doctors who provide medical services to people in their local community.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota
There will be
3.8% more GP jobs in 2027.
In this role you could:
You could work at a GP practice, at a health centre or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.
To become a GP you'll need to complete:
If you already have a degree in a science subject, you could do a postgraduate degree in medicine which takes 4 years.
If you do not have any science qualifications, you might be able to do a degree in medicine which takes 6 years and includes a pre-medical year.
Entry tests
When you apply for a course in medicine, you may be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).
You'll be tested on skills like critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, communication and scientific knowledge.
Work experience
Medical schools will also expect you to have some paid or voluntary work experience in healthcare.
You can get information on how to get medical work experience from the British Medical Association.
You could also use Observe GP which is a free online alternative to work experience created by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
You'll usually need:
You might be able to do a doctor degree apprenticeship which will take around 5 years to complete.
The apprenticeship is recognised by the General Medical Council.
You could then progress to the foundation course of general training before completing the specialist training in general practice.
You'll need to:
The General Medical Council has a guide on what it means to be a good doctor. You might find this useful when preparing for medical school interviews.
You can use online resources to find out more about the types of interviews you can expect to get into for medical school.
You could join the British Medical Association for professional development and training opportunities.
You can find out more about becoming a GP from Health Careers and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
With experience you could:run a shared practice or specialise in an area like sports medicine, diabetes or children's health; move into medical work in hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, the police or the prison service; work overseas or in medicine for the Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy; teach students training to be GPs or go into clinical research; become a member of a local medical committee or clinical commissioning group to get involved in local health issues
You'll need: