Consultant (medicine)

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For other uses, see Consultant (disambiguation).

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a 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 speciality.

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 speciality, as well as other "career grade" doctors such as clinical assistants, clinical fellows and staff grade doctors.

The time taken to become a consultant depends upon a number of factors, principally the speciality chosen - certain specialities require longer training, or are more competitive, and therefore becoming a consultant can take longer. Other specialities are relatively easy to progress through, and it is possible for a doctor to become a consultant much earlier in his or her career.

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, are Locum Consultants who have the same clinical responsibility to the hospital, but are not responsible for management or training of junior staff.

[edit] See also

• Attending physician (The equivalent position in the United States of America)

NHS Medical Career Grades

	Old System	New System (Modernising Medical Careers)
Stage 1:	Pre-registration House Officer (PRHO)	Foundation Year 1
Stage 2:	Senior House Officer (SHO) - 1st year after registration	Foundation Year 2
Stage 3:	SHOs 2+ years post registration and Specialist Registrar or GP Registrar	Specialty Registrar (StR) - combining basic and higher
Stage 4:	Consultant or General Practitioner	Senior Medical Practitioner (e.g. Consultant or GP)