Irish College of General Practitioners receives record number of applications for 2023 Training Programme..

Numbers show increasing popularity of General Practice as a career choice.

(21st November 2022)  The Irish College of General Practitioners, the professional and training body for general practice in Ireland, has received a record 968 applications from medical graduates wishing to become General Practitioners in Ireland.

The specialist training programme, over 4 years for most doctors, is now managed directly by the ICGP, and delivers a world-class, innovative and continuously improving GP Training programme across the country.

The ICGP’s National Director of GP Training, Dr Martin Rouse, said: “We are very pleased with the huge interest in general practice shown by the record number of applications this year, which reflects the growing popularity and profile of general practice in Ireland.”

He added: “There are currently 932 trainees enrolled nationally  in the ICGP Training Programme, and we have steadily increased our training numbers since 2017. There is an unmet demand for GPs in every part of the country due to increased population, changing demography and  retirement of senior colleagues in  General Practice. 

The ICGP has substantially increased training number intake by over 100 in the past 6 years.”

YEAR           INTAKE

2015           153

2019           193

2020           208

2021           233

2022           258

2023           285

The ICGP’s Chief Executive Officer, Fintan Foy, said: “There is a national shortage of GPs, and with the strong support of the HSE, the ICGP is responding to this shortage by increasing the number of training places. While it is challenging to find training posts in hospitals, working in close partnership with the HSE’s National Doctor Training and Planning unit (NDTP) we are confident we can reach our target of 350 training places by 2026.”

The College ran its #BEaGP social media campaign via its dedicated website www.beagp.com with a range of video stories highlighting the benefits of a GP career, and Facebook and Instagram ads directed at recent graduates in Ireland and abroad.

The College also ran online webinars explaining the application process, to help graduates prepare their applications, and used its social media platforms and other channels to help promote the training programme.

ENDS   ISSUED BY: Aileen O’Meara, Communications Consultant, Irish College of General Practitioners. 

Tel. 01 2542984 / 087 2239830  Email: ICGP.news@gmail.com    www.icgp.ie