The award of Fellowship of the Institute recognises excellent abilities and skills and is its highest distinction of the Institute. Applications may be made by Members of the Institute with a minimum of five years’ post-qualification experience. The Fellowship may be sought by either of the following routes:
1. Fellowship by dissertation.
Normally this route for Fellowship requires an abstract to be agreed in advance. Professional Members of the Institute wishing to apply via a dissertation for Fellowship should contact the Chief Assessor (Fellowship) for the entry forms and conditions. A dissertation, between 7,500 and 20,000 words, is submitted for consideration by the Fellowship Board and selected expert assessors.
2. Fellowship by Assessment.
This method gives Members of the Institute the opportunity to apply for Fellowship by citing their range of professional achievements, experience, publications, etc..
Applications should be made using the Fellowship application form which can be obtained by emailing the Chief Assessor. The closing date for assessments is the end of May. The Fellowship Board will meet to consider applications during late June or July.
The Fellowship Board consists of the Chief Assessor (Fellowship) and a minimum of three Fellows or Honorary Fellows of the Institute and a representative of the Royal College of General Practitioners. The Fellowship Board will meet once annually in order to consider all Fellowship applications. This will normally be two to three months in advance of the annual conference to enable successful applicants to receive their award at the conference. The Chief Assessor (Fellowship) will ensure that all applicants are aware of the Fellowship Board meeting date and will inform both successful and unsuccessful candidates of the result of their application within two weeks of the Board’s meeting.
Candidates may be required to attend the Fellowship Board meeting at the candidate’s own expense. Applicants would only be required to attend if, having seen the candidate’s application, the majority of Board members feel that such attendance is necessary to help them reach a decision.