How long does it take to become a local GP ?

Question

I'm thinking abut becoming a GP in the future i am 14 and i was wondering that by the time i leave school (18/19yrs) at what age would i become a professional GP after all my training if any professionals could answer that would be great thanks x

Answer 1

You have to have a degree in medicine from university to become a doctor. You wouldn't need to decide to specialise as a GP until you had had experience in all sorts of different areas. This would probably be at least 5 years after graduating from uni.

It's best not to ask about this in the Alt Med section. These people have not put in the effort that medical doctors have to, but some quacks like to pretend they are equivalent to medical doctors.

Answer 2

If you leave school at 19, you will finish your medical degree at 24, you will then have to do various duties across departments including A&E, before you will be given the opportunity to specialise, at which point you can choose general practice. Everything running smoothly you could expect me to be a GP at 28 at the earliest.

You can't just walk straight into being a GP after university, you need to be a junior doctor and work your way up to the grade at which you can specialise. A medical degree is usually five years and then a probation period of practical work experience in various posts as a house officer.

Although it's fine to have being a GP as a goal, you should become a doctor because you have a fascination for medicine. You will be expected to work in all kinds of medicine, from paediatrics to radiology and gynocology before you are able to specialise. It really is a long haul, but if you have a genuine interest in medicine it will not be arduous for you, it will be an enjoyable challenge. Good luck.

Answer 3

I think it is great that you have a goal for the future. :)

Get good grades at GCSE, then at A level so that you can get in to Uni. Your medical degree is five years (I think) and then you move on to work as a House Officer (junior doctor) in hospital. The rotations are normally six months or thereabouts for each post. For example, six months in your first post on medicine, then six months in your next post on surgery. Then you would look for a position as a Senior House Officer. Same again. Six month stints in each job. But you would need to work in orthopaedics, paediatrics, accident and emergency, psychiatry etc to gain experience in every field. If memory serves, there is a post graduate programme you go on to do it, but I'm a nurse, not a doctor so I am not 100% sure.

Hope this helps you and good luck!

Answer 4

...you need to get good grades GCSE (A-B), Continue on and do science based A-levels getting good grades (A-B) and then if you get in its 7 years doing Medicine at University

so you wouldn't be a GP till you were 25