Postnominals: the final word (we hope)

Some clarity is at last emerging and we can all move on.

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The RACGP has finally given a definitive answer on whether you can cease to be a financial member and keep using FRACGP after your name.

And it’s a no.

After a lot of back and forth, it was our friends at Australian Doctor who first obtained the unambiguous answer that TMR had begun asking for weeks ago.

Our reporting drew criticism, directly and on social media, from GPs who had been assured by the RACGP that once you attain fellowship, you get to use those letters forever.

The college had told us: “While they remain a financial member, a Fellow can refer to themselves as a ‘Fellow of the RACGP’ and use the post-nominal ‘FRACGP’ in accordance with regulations”, but declined to go further and remove all doubt by saying that ceasing membership meant you forfeited the letters.

And as late as yesterday, one GP was told this in an email from the RACGP member services team:

“Dear Dr ***,

“Thank you for contacting The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 

“Indeed it is correct. FRACGP may be used by anybody who has obtained fellowship of the college, regardless of any current financial membership.”

But when we asked the media team about the discrepancy, it responded:

“We regret some inaccurate information was provided by our member services team to an RACGP member regarding the use of the FRACGP post nominal. We are currently developing further guidelines around the context and permitted use of ‘FRACGP’ and will provide these to members in the coming weeks.”

We asked whether there had been a recent change in policy, one that not all staff had yet been made aware of, but that didn’t get a response.

This policy of requiring financial membership to use the FRACGP merely brings the RACGP in line with most other medical colleges.

Reminder! Those who don’t plan to continue their college membership into next year and still need to download their CPD records have two more days, as the college said last week:

“Members planning not to renew have until 30 May to download their information. After 30 May, members who don’t renew will lose access to their myCPD platform, and the many benefits of maintaining professional development through the RACGP.”