FCPS Part 2 Training: Requirements, Recognised Hospitals & PIMS Training

What Is FCPS Part 2 Training?

Before a doctor can sit the FCPS Part 2 examination, they must complete a period of structured, supervised specialty training in a hospital recognised by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP). This training period - commonly referred to as FCPS Part 2 training - is how a doctor transitions from a general medical officer to a trained specialist. It is one of the most important phases of a Pakistani doctor's career, combining clinical experience, academic learning, and gradual assumption of independent clinical responsibility under consultant supervision.

Training is not merely about accumulating years - CPSP requires that training be formally registered, regularly logged, and assessed through a structured process. A candidate who has spent years working in a hospital but never registered their training with CPSP will not be eligible to apply for Part 2.

Minimum Training Duration by Specialty

The minimum period of recognised training required before FCPS Part 2 eligibility varies by specialty:

• Medical specialties (Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Pulmonology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, etc.): typically 3-4 years
• Surgical specialties (General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Urology, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, etc.): typically 4-5 years
• Paediatrics and Gynaecology/Obstetrics: typically 3-4 years
• Psychiatry, Radiology, Pathology, Anaesthesia: typically 3-4 years, with specialty-specific requirements

These durations are minimums - many candidates continue training beyond the minimum to consolidate experience and improve their readiness for the clinical examination. The exact duration for your specialty is documented in the CPSP training regulations, available through the ePortal.

How to Register FCPS Part 2 Training with CPSP

Training must be formally registered with CPSP through the ePortal at the time it begins - not after the fact. The registration process is:

1. After passing FCPS Part 1, secure a training post at a CPSP-recognised training hospital in your specialty.
2. Register your training on the CPSP ePortal within the first few weeks of beginning your post. Your supervisor must countersign or approve the registration through the portal.
3. Log training activities - CPSP requires candidates to maintain a logbook of clinical procedures, cases, and academic activities throughout the training period.
4. Supervisor assessments - your supervisor submits periodic assessments of your clinical progress, professionalism, and readiness for independent practice.
5. Training extension - if you change hospitals, take approved leave, or have gaps, you must update your training record accordingly. Unexplained gaps can affect eligibility.

The ePortal provides a digital training diary where activities can be logged and submitted for supervisor review. Keeping this up to date throughout training, rather than trying to backfill at the end, prevents delays in eligibility confirmation at the time of Part 2 application.

FCPS Part 2 Training in PIMS

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad is one of the largest and most prominent CPSP-recognised training hospitals in Pakistan. PIMS offers recognised FCPS training posts across a wide range of specialties including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Orthopaedics, and many others.

Training at PIMS is highly sought after because of the hospital's patient volume, case mix complexity, and the calibre of consultants available as FCPS supervisors. The volume of rare and complex cases a trainee encounters at a tertiary referral centre like PIMS accelerates clinical learning in ways that smaller hospitals cannot match.

To secure an FCPS Part 2 training post at PIMS, candidates typically apply through PIMS's own internal competitive process - merit-based selection against other FCPS Part 1 holders who have applied for the same specialty rotation. Seats are limited and competition is high, particularly in popular specialties like Medicine, Surgery, and Paediatrics.

Other major CPSP-recognised training hospitals across Pakistan include Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Services Hospital Lahore, King Edward Medical University / Mayo Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital, and military hospitals including CMH facilities in major garrison cities.

What Your FCPS Part 2 Training Should Cover

CPSP training regulations define the clinical competencies expected at the end of the training period. For a trainee in Internal Medicine (FCPS Part 2 Medicine), for example, the training should produce a physician who can:

• Independently assess and manage common and uncommon presentations across all major internal medicine disciplines
• Perform relevant bedside procedures competently and safely
• Lead medical ward rounds and manage ward patients without direct consultant supervision
• Interpret and act on investigations including ECGs, imaging, and laboratory results
• Manage medical emergencies - including ACS, status epilepticus, diabetic emergencies, respiratory failure, and sepsis - as the on-call senior trainee
• Teach and supervise junior doctors and students

These are the competencies the Part 2 clinical examination is designed to assess. A trainee who has genuinely developed these skills through engaged clinical training is in a fundamentally stronger position than one who has simply accumulated the required number of years on the roster.

FCPS Part 2 Training 2021 and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted FCPS training in 2020 and early 2021. Many trainees had training periods interrupted by hospital lockdowns, redeployments to COVID wards, or suspension of elective clinical activities. CPSP issued guidance at the time about how pandemic-related interruptions would be treated in training records - affected trainees were generally advised to apply for approved leave extensions rather than losing credit for the disrupted period.

By mid-2021, most CPSP training hospitals had resumed normal specialty training. Candidates whose training was disrupted in 2020-2021 and who are now approaching Part 2 eligibility should review their training records carefully on the ePortal to ensure all periods are correctly logged and any approved pandemic-related extensions are reflected.

HighYield for FCPS Trainees

The years of FCPS Part 2 training are also the years when your clinical knowledge base should be deepening most rapidly. HighYield's QBanks let you test your clinical reasoning with vignette-format MCQs across medicine and specialist subjects - ideal for regular self-assessment throughout training, not just in the run-up to the Part 2 written paper. Keep your knowledge sharp with a few questions a day. Start free on HighYield.