In 2023, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) surveyed the career intentions of GPs who had graduated between 2017 and 2022 to establish a comprehensive picture of the future job wishes of GP graduates. The results are “good news for patients and for general practice in Ireland” said Medical Director of the ICGP Dr Diarmuid Quinlan.
The recently published survey indicates that only a low number are considering emigration. Just 3 per cent of recently graduated GPs said they definitely planned to move abroad, while 7 per cent were undecided. Almost none of those surveyed had emigrated, with the vast majority (96 per cent) still working in general practice in Ireland. The ICGP’s Director of GP Training Dr Cathy Cullen said the data shows that “the growing demand for GPs, the improved financial environment for general practice, and the variety of career options has made general practice a very attractive career for graduates”.
The ICGP has undertaken several substantial initiatives, with the support of the Department of Health (DoH), HSE, Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), and Government, to address the ongoing GP workforce pressures, especially in rural general practice. The initiatives include further increases in GP training places, the International Medical Graduates (IMG) Rural GP Programme, and the Strategic Taskforce on General Practice.
There is a 22 per cent increase in training numbers for 2024 compared to 2023, with 350 training places being offered in the coming weeks, to start in July 2024. A significant number of those training places are allocated to rural general practices. The ICGP has been steadily increasing intake in recent years, and there are now 1,044 trainee GPs in the training programme, compared to 700 in 2019.
Dr Quinlan said: “We need more resources and innovative incentives to enable GPs to establish and maintain viable practices in rural areas and areas of high deprivation. Multidisciplinary teams of practice nurses, advanced nurse practitioners, and healthcare assistants can support GPs and provide more services for all patients across Ireland.”
