General Practitioner (GP)

As a General Practitioner (GP), you will be the first point of contact for people seeking healthcare, helping patients of all ages with everything from everyday illnesses to long-term health conditions. You will build lasting relationships with patients, diagnose problems, provide treatment and advice, and help people stay healthy throughout their lives.

General Practitioner (GP) is also known as Doctor.

Role Characteristics

Help people with medical or health problems by carrying out diagnosis, investigation, treatment, and referrals to other teams
Liaise with medical professionals in the community and hospital settings
Maintain confidentiality and impartiality with their patients
Promote healthy lifestyles and behaviours to the general public to encourage good health
Keep up to date with medical developments, new treatments and medications to be aware of future developments in medicine
Observe and assess the work of trainee GP's and medical students to help them learn

Skills

Active listening
Advice giving
Decision-making
Empathy
Resilience
Communication

Day in the life

Watch this video to find out more about work as a GP.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

BTEC, T-Level or A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Foundation degree

Postgraduate degree

How to become

To become a General Practitioner (GP), you will need a degree in Medicine. There are many ways to access university level education, and you can explore lots of current opportunities in the section below.

You might:

Study A Levels, BTECs, or T Levels. Useful subjects might include Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths.
Complete an Access to Higher Education course, a college course designed for adults who want to access higher education but do not have the traditional requirements like A Levels.
Complete a Foundation Year, such as a Gateway to Medicine course, a year-long university course designed to prepare you for studying Medicine if you do not have the required qualifications or grades to go straight into a degree.
Alongside education, you may also want to build some relevant work or voluntary experience in healthcare settings, care services, community organisations, schools, or charities, and think about developing your communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, and resilience skills.

You will then be ready to study at a university level. This can include:

Studying an undergraduate degree in Medicine (MBBS, MBChB or equivalent). This usually takes 5 years.
After completing your medical degree, you will usually complete Foundation Training, a two-year paid training programme where you work in different healthcare settings and specialties to develop your clinical skills and experience.
You will then complete GP Specialty Training, a paid postgraduate training programme that prepares you to work as a General Practitioner. This usually takes around 3 years and includes experience in hospitals and general practice settings.
To practise as a General Practitioner (GP), you must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).

Where can this role lead

From your role as a General Practitioner (GP), you could develop specialist interests in areas such as mental health, women's health, child health, older people's care, or work more closely with community-based services and public health initiatives.

Your broad clinical knowledge, diagnostic skills, and experience caring for people across all stages of life would also transfer well into sideways moves such as a Psychiatrist, Public Health Practitioner, or Emergency Medicine Doctor, allowing you to focus on particular patient groups, health issues, or care settings.

Progression might involve becoming a GP Partner, leading a practice and helping shape local healthcare services. You could also move into leadership positions such as Service Manager or Project Manager, helping to improve services across health and care.

If you enjoy sharing your knowledge, you could become involved in medical education, training future healthcare professionals, or supporting service development and research. If you would prefer less day-to-day patient contact, you could explore opportunities as a Researcher or Analyst, using your clinical expertise to improve healthcare services and influence health policy and planning.

Location

Community Settings
Peoples Homes
Care Homes
GP Practices

Working hours

Weekdays
Part Time
Full Time
Flexible Hours
Overtime
Casual Hours

Opportunities

Access to university

MBChB Gateway to Medicine

A programme designed to support people from different backgrounds, this programme includes an additional foundation year leading into the full Medicine and Surgery degree.