The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

GPEP Clinical and Written Examinations

The GPEP Clinical and Written Examinations are held in November and December for eligible candidates who have completed the first year of the training programme (GPEP Year 1).

The examination has a strong emphasis on communication, reflection, critical thinking and general practice concepts of care – the knowledge, skills and values general practitioners use in their everyday work. You will be assessed by means of two objective tests:

• of knowledge and skills (Written Examinations)
• and by your performance in simulated consultations (Clinical Examination).

Success in both sections of GPEP Clinical and Written Examinations will give you Membership of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Membership recognises your ability to practise safely in general practice, as you continue through the second stage of the training programme (GPEP2) on your pathway to Fellowship.

The Written Examinations are held in regional centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin on one day in December. The Clinical Examination is held in Wellington only, in late November/early December.

If you are unsuccessful in either or both sections of GPEP Clinical and Written Examinations you may re-sit the section(s) concerned.

5.9    Fitness to Practise and Competence (Extract from the Handbook)

The performance of a candidate undertaking Primex may raise concerns as to the candidate’s fitness to practise medicine because of mental or physical condition and/or deficiencies in the candidate’s skill, knowledge or standard of medical practice.

The College will notify the Medical Council of New Zealand if it has reason to believe that a medical practitioner is not fit to practise medicine because of a mental or physical condition (the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 requires this of medical practitioners).

The College also believes that if concerns arise about a candidate’s competence to practise medicine because of deficiencies in the skill, knowledge or standard of medical practice, it is the College’s duty to notify the Medical Council of our concerns.

It is a condition of undertaking Primex that if a candidate’s performance raises concerns about his or her fitness or competence, the College and/or its officers have the right to notify those concerns to the Medical Council and the candidate expressly authorises the College and/or its officers to do so.

Primex 2012 Results

Results have been posted to all candidates on Thursday 24 January.