Experience/Qualifications

To become a PMA Professional Member (MPMA), you will need at least 10 years’ work experience or relevant qualifications, or a combination of qualifications and experience.

Work Experience

By ‘work experience’ we mean being professionally engaged in any aspect of General Practice Management or General Practice Business Management – and/or the teaching or training of these activities – on a full-time basis.
You will need to detail your work experience specifying job role(s), time-period in the role(s), and relevant tasks and responsibilities.
You will have the option to provide this information by uploading your CV.

Relevant qualifications

Holding a higher education qualification can reduce the amount of work experience you will need to have to be eligible for PMA Professional membership.

• Qualifications from a UK higher education institution
  If you hold a BA or BSc Hons degree, you will be allocated an equivalent in years’ experience based on the outline below – and together with your work experience, your application will be assessed. Similarly, with an accredited MSc, Ordinary degree, foundation degree, or HNC/HND, you will also need a minimum of five years’ experience. Our online application process allows you to check your qualifications and will guide you to the most appropriate membership grade.
• PMA Higher Education Qualifications
  If you hold a PMA Professional Diploma at Level 3 or above you will be allocated an equivalent in years’ experience based on the outline below – and together with your work experience, your application will be assessed.

Holding a non-accredited qualification from a UK higher education institution may also reduce the amount of work experience you need to have to apply for PMA Professional membership.

This chart shows the number of years’ work experience that the following qualifications are equivalent to.

Supporters and Sponsors

PMA will need the details of two supporters who can comment on your experience and competence to verify your application.
This could be a GP, GP Partner or Clinical Director or they should be somebody working at the same level as you or above and able to offer a reliable opinion of your work performance.
Supporters are typically employers, colleagues or clients (sorry, no relatives). Please speak to your supporters in advance to confirm they are happy to verify your application and for PMA to hold their details for the purposes of PMA membership assessment and quality control.

• Professional recognition with post-nominals for Member status (MPMA)
• 15% discount on other PMA products and services

• Application, approval and the first year are free of charge.
• From year 2 onwards there will be an annual fee of £100.
• The annual fee is waivered if you are a subscriber to PMA Premium Membership.

Experience

To achieve PMA Fellowship (FPMA), you will be a leader in General Practice Management or GP Business Management, recognised for your eminence, authority or seniority in your field. You will have at least (10) year’s work experience or relevant qualifications, or a combination of qualifications and experience – and hold MPMA status.

Eminence: you are an expert in GP Practice Management or Business Practice Management

You are likely to have a substantial record of published work and public-speaking, training and development. You will be an active coach or mentor in General Practice and have made a significant contribution to advancing the knowledge and understanding across General Practice.
You will be active within your locality, within the CCG, LMC, Federation, PCN, Training Hubs and other allied NHS bodies that make up the wider Integrated Care Sector.

Authority: you will be recognised for your knowledge and influence

You might have influence in the areas of General Practice business, systems and organisational development; be prominent within your PCN or be recognised for developing a technique that is now widely used.
You could be involved in a national or standards committee, or a professional body like PMA, in a technical or professional capacity; or you hold a senior position in which you demonstrate significant influence.

Seniority: you’ve held a senior position in General Practice Management of General Practice Business Management for several years

Do you manage a team of 20 or more people, at least 2 of whom are at PMA Professional (MPMA) membership level or equivalent?
Or you might now be a consultant in an organisation working for major clients across the Primary Care Sector and the wider Health Care Sector; a senior lecturer teaching across general practice; or in a role as a principal within a PCN or senior principal level or higher.

CV

You will need to provide a CV or resume covering your General Practice experience in full – together with details of any other referenced contributions you have made – to allow our assessors to confirm your status as a leader through your eminence, authority or seniority.
You should include the positions you have held, your key achievements and how you view your contribution to the sector.

Supporters

PMA will require contact details for at least two supporters who can comment on your standing in the profession to verify your application. You can provide details for more than two supporters to verify different areas of your experience if necessary.
Supporters should be working at a similar level to you and it is preferable, though not essential, that they are PMA Professional Members or Fellows.
Please speak to your supporters in advance to confirm they are happy to verify your application and for PMA to hold their details for the purposes of PMA Fellowship assessment and quality control.

You will be required to attend a formal interview with a committee of the PMA Members Council. This may be conducted virtually.

• Professional recognition with post-nominals for Fellow status (FPMA)
• 15% discount on other PMA products and services

• Application, approval and the first year are free of charge.
• From year 2 onwards there will be an annual fee of £145.
• The annual fee is waivered if you are a subscriber to PMA Premium Membership.

Experience/qualifications

To become a PMA Associate member, you will need a year’s General Practice work experience or a qualification at ILM level 3 or above.
By ‘General Practice work experience’ we mean being professionally engaged in any aspect of developing, maintaining or managing systems, processes and or people within any aspect of non-clinical General Practice – or the teaching, training or mentoring of these activities.

Supporter

We will require the details of a supporter who can comment on your competence and experience to verify your application. They should be working at the same level as you or above, and able to offer a reliable opinion of your performance at work.
Supporters are typically employers, colleagues or those that you work closely with.
Please speak to your supporter in advance to confirm they are happy to verify your application and for PMA to hold their details for the purposes of PMA membership assessment and quality control.

• Application, approval and the first year are free of charge.
• From year 2 onwards there will be an annual fee of £65.

PMA support you throughout your studies and into the health sector

By becoming a member of PMA at this early stage in your health sector career, you signal your dedication to delivering high ethical standards of practice to current and future employers as well as your commitment to your own professional development.

Building your career

PMA membership offers access to tools, insight, advice, guidance and learning resources and workshops that you will need you need to kick start your early journey and career pathway.

Learn from others

Access our workshops, web workshops and mentoring network to gain valuable advice and insight from our more experienced members. Be an active participant in PMA workshops and web workshops, specialist groups and PMA webinars to hear talks and network with thought leaders.

Make your voice heard

Just because you are new to the health sector, doesn’t mean that you don’t have a voice. PMA actively encourages our younger and early career members to contribute to all PMA activities, as well as take part in our member surveys.

• Application, approval and the first year are free of charge.
• From year 2 onwards there will be an annual fee of £25.