Associate Membership is available to fully qualified doctors who do not possess MRCP(UK) or MRCPCH, Physician Associates and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.

Membership referral scheme – receive a £25 credit against your next annual subscription when you refer a colleague to join the College. The applicant should provide your name under the ‘Membership Reward Scheme’ section when they complete their online application form.

Benefits include:

Keeping your knowledge up to date

  • Free and discounted access to our programme of specialty and general medical education, including Symposia, Evening Medical Updates, International Medical Updates and Courses
  • Discounted access to our non-clinical Courses, including Clinical Research and Systematic Review
  • Free attendance at our Medical Trainees’ Conference
  • Access to hundreds of hours of clinical and non-clinical content and resources through our Education Portal, a virtual learning environment which provides a rich programme of online continuing medical education – new material is added each month
  • Free quarterly digital access to The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Developing your career

  • Access the UK CPD for Physicians scheme (value £165)
  • Join Enhance: Mentoring for Medics, our fully funded mentoring programme 
  • Regular medical and training news updates on key issues
  • Network with and learn from like-minded colleagues through attending events
  • Access resources created by our Recently Appointed Consultants’ Committee to support your transition to becoming a consultant

Making your life easier

  • Discounted rates if you’re working less than full-time (LTFT) (25%) or on maternity leave (50%)
  • Membership referral scheme – receive £25 when you refer a colleague
  • Receive exclusive offers on a range of goods and services through our Lifestyle Rewards
  • Pay JRCPTB training fees (if applicable) in annual instalments alongside your membership subscription

Representing your voice 

  • Representation by our Trainees & Members’ Committee – one of the most active trainee groups in the UK
  • Regular Presidential Overseas Visits, allowing us to hear what matters to you
  • Representation through the College with UK Government, JRCPTB, Scottish Government, NICE, NHS and other organisations, with the opportunity to contribute to surveys and policy papers on topical issues

Sharing our heritage

  • Access our Library services at the College or online
  • Borrow items from our modern collections
  • Free entry to history of medicine talks and tours organised by our Heritage Team

Value for Money:

  • Receive free and discounted access to our programme of specialty and general medical education, including Symposia, Evening Medical Updates and Courses
  • Fellows and Members in the UK: Access to the Physicians’ CPD Diary and app, value £165
  • Join Enhance: Mentoring for Medics, our fully funded mentoring programme as a Mentor or as a Mentee
  • Explore our online learning portal, which provides articles, lectures, interactive cases, self-assessment, and approved distance-learning CPD
  • Tax relief: The College has been approved as a professional body by HMRC; UK tax payers who are not retired may be able to claim tax back on their subscriptions. RCPE Guide - Claiming back professional expenses for UK doctors
  • Reduced subscription if you work less than full time hours (LTFT) or if you are on maternity/paternity leave - we offer up to 50% discounts on subscription fees

Becoming involved in your College

  • UK members can stand for election to the Trainees & Members’ Committee
  • Contribute to the development of our education programme including Evening Medical Updates and Symposia, through our Trainees & Members’ Committee
  • Host local and international sites for webstreaming our Symposia and Evening Medical Updates
  • Influence the College and external policy through our Trainees & Members’ Committee

Refugee doctors in the UK

Refugees who are currently living in the UK and who have trained as doctors or who began studying medicine in their home country may apply to become an Associate Member of the College free of charge.  We hope this will help them to keep up to date until such time as they are able to practice medicine or study medicine again, by:

  • giving refugee doctors/students access to the College’s educational programme of symposia
  • providing updates in general and acute medicine and across the medical specialties
  • allowing refugee doctors to obtain CPD points through attendance at these events
  • giving access to the College’s Education Portal, including online specialty modules and archived presentations from the education programme
  • giving access to the secure section of the website, offering regular College news and items of interest to the profession

Refugee doctors in the UK who are not currently practising medicine and refugee medical students in the UK are asked to complete this online application form if they would like to join the College as an Associate Member.

How to apply for Associate Membership 

Online application the Membership Department will check and process your application as soon as possible.  Please allow a few working days for this.  When the checks have been carried out, you will be sent an email with instructions for activating your website account and securely paying your joining fee by card or paying by telephone.

How to re-join as a Associate Member

We welcome former Associate Members who wish to re-join the College.  However, please note that the ‘joining fee’ is only applicable to new Associate Members.  Members who have already benefited from similar introductory rates will be classed as standard members when re-joining.  

Online application to re-join - Please complete the online re-join application form - the Membership Department will check and process your application as soon as possible.  Please allow a few working days for this.  When the checks have been carried out, you will be sent an email giving you information on how to securely pay the standard subscription online or pay by telephone.

Did you know?

  • Reduced rates are offered to new joiners
  • Associate Member subscription fees are tax deductible