© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Correspondence |
The award of Membership without examination
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, e-mail: maju.mathews{at}drexelmed.edu
Professor Khan echoes a sentiment shared by hundreds of psychiatrists who have passed the MRCPsych exams after a great deal of hard work; it is frustrating to see others who have never been through the process still get the MRCPsych. Dr Bhugra states that this ‘College is the only Royal College which has tried to be inclusive’. By doing what - handing out Membership for free! This is certainly not something to be proud of. This is a mere gimmick to entice psychiatrists to work in the UK and in my view greatly lowers the credibility of the College.
I moved from the UK to work in the USA and it is very common to see psychiatrists who trained in the UK and have moved here. Psychiatrists still continue to come here from the UK, many even after passing the MRCPsych. One of the most common reasons cited is the inherent unfairness of a system where everything is based on need rather than on merit. In contrast becoming a Board-certified psychiatrist in the USA involves passing the exams of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology after the required number of years of training. There are no exceptions based on fame, repute or need.
MRCPsych is an award I was proud to add after my name and despite moving to the USA, I have continued to pay my fees to the College. However, I no longer see any point in paying over £300 a year for something that anyone can have and have decided to stop paying my annual Membership fees. However, since my fees are currently up to date, I continue to add MRCPsych after my name for the time being!
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