Consultant (medicine)

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty.

A doctor must hold a Certificate of Completion of Training before he or she may be employed as a consultant.

A consultant typically leads a "firm" (team of doctors) which comprises Specialist registrars, Senior house officers and Pre-registration house officers, all training to work in the consultant's specialty, as well as other "career grade" doctors such as clinical assistants, clinical fellows and staff grade doctors.

The time required to become a consultant depends upon a number of factors, but principally the specialty chosen. Certain specialties require longer training, or are more competitive, and therefore becoming a consultant can take longer. Other specialties are relatively easy to progress through, and it is possible for a doctor to become a consultant much earlier in his or her career. After Modernising Medical Careers comes into operation (in early 2007), the length of training will be fixed for the majority of doctors, at about nine years.

Most consultants work on a long-term contract with one or more hospital trusts, and these posts are known as substantive consultant positions. Various titles (such as senior consultant, clinical director, medical director, etc.) exist for consultants who have particular responsibilities for the overall management of the hospital.

Other doctors, particularly those who have only just qualified as consultants, may be employed as locum consultants, who have the same clinical responsibility, but are not responsible for management or training of junior staff, and are typically on fixed, short-term contracts.

See also:

 * Attending physician (The equivalent position in the United States of America)
 * Modernising Medical Careers

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