Military GP training-the future

There is clearly a significant step from being a well-supported GP Registrar to being a fully independent GP in the NHS and this is even more apparent for a newly qualified Military GP There are many additional duties and responsibilities placed upon a Military GP that the current training curriculum and exams do not cover and which must be learnt post-CCT, whilst undertaking independent practice for the first time. Having a Military First 5 initiative for support during this time would no doubt be of some use, but having a dedicated period of training to re-militarise newly qualified Military GPs would provide an opportunity to improve and make more efficient the initial transition from training to independent practice. In the long term, incorporating as much as possible of this proposed period of post-CCT Military training into a 4th year of GP training would be the ideal. However, discussions between Surgeon General, the Defence Deanery and the RCGP would be required to define which training elements would be acceptable to be incorporated and there will no doubt be some aspects (e.g. weapons handling) that might be deemed unacceptable by the RCGP, and thus a period of post-CCT Military training may still be a key component of a longer term solution. The options for enhancing Military GP training warrant thorough exploration as they have the potential to provide significant benefit not only for future trainees but also for the military in general.