FHKAM meaning: Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, doctors' qualification abbreviations and how to confirm a specialist
FHKAM means Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine; the brackets show the field, for example FHKAM (Medicine) is internal medicine. Whether a doctor is a specialist, and in which specialty, is shown on the Medical Council of Hong Kong's Specialist Register: only doctors on the register can call themselves specialists, and only in the specialty in which they are registered.
What do common qualification abbreviations mean?
The qualifications a doctor may quote when presenting services to the public include: the qualification for full registration (for example MB BS (HK)), the first medical qualification, the specialist qualification registered on the Specialist Register (for example FHKAM (Medicine)), and other qualifications on the Medical Council's List of Quotable Qualifications (Medical Council Guidelines on Quoting of Qualifications, available in English only).
| Abbreviation | Full name (Chinese name on the Medical Council list) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FHKAM (Medicine) | Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Medicine) (香港醫學專科學院院士(內科)) | Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine; the brackets show the field, for example (Family Medicine) |
| FHKCP | Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians (香港內科醫學院院士) | The Hong Kong College of Physicians is a constituent college of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine |
| MRCP (UK) | Member of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (英國皇家內科醫學院院士) | A qualification of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom |
| FRCP | Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London (英國倫敦皇家內科醫學院榮授院士) | At its meeting on 4 December 2024, the Medical Council decided to adopt ‘FRCP’ in place of the former ‘FRCP (Lond)’, with a three-year transition period |
| FRCP (Edin) | Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (英國愛丁堡皇家內科醫學院榮授院士) | Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh |
| FACC | Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (美國心臟科學院院士) | Fellowship of the American College of Cardiology; the Medical Council list notes that it may be quoted only by those who obtained it by examination or other formal assessment |
What is the difference between a specialist and a doctor who is only generally registered?
Doctors practising in Hong Kong must be registered with the Medical Council. The General Register has five parts: full registration, provisional registration, limited registration, temporary registration and special registration.
The Specialist Register was set up in 1998. To be on the Specialist Register, a doctor must be a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine certified by the Academy as having completed postgraduate training in the specialty and met the continuing medical education requirements, or be certified by the Academy as having comparable training and qualifications.
Only doctors on the Specialist Register are recognised as specialists and may use the title ‘specialist in’ a specialty, and only in the specialty in which they are registered (Medical Council Code of Professional Conduct, section 7, October 2022). A doctor not on the register may not call himself or herself a specialist, nor use a description that implies a specialty, such as ‘skin doctor’ (Medical Council Code of Professional Conduct, section 7, October 2022).
How do I verify a doctor's qualifications?
First step (for the detailed steps, see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty in Hong Kong): go to the ‘List of Registered Medical Practitioners’ on the Medical Council of Hong Kong website and check whether the doctor is on the General Register and whether he or she is on the Specialist Register.
Second step: note the specialty under which the doctor is registered on the Specialist Register, for example ‘Cardiology’. A doctor may call himself or herself a specialist only in the specialty in which he or she is registered.
Third step: if the doctor has joined the Primary Care Directory, you can also check his or her professional qualifications and practice details there.
Qualifications listed on a name card or website should be ones the Medical Council allows to be quoted, and should use the awarding body's official name or the form shown on the List of Quotable Qualifications.
For other official ways to check a doctor, see official ways to check a doctor in Hong Kong.
What is the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine?
The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is an independent statutory body responsible for organising, monitoring, assessing and accrediting all medical and dental specialist training, with 15 constituent colleges. The Academy recognises 74 specialties, and more than 9,800 Fellows are eligible, on the Academy's recommendation, for inclusion on the Specialist Register of the Medical Council or of the Dental Council (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine website, viewed September 2026).
Adult cardiology is a specialty of the Hong Kong College of Physicians (paediatric cardiology belongs to the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians). Our analysis: doctors listed under Cardiology on the Specialist Register therefore generally hold the qualifications of Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Medicine) and Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians, that is, FHKAM (Medicine) and FHKCP.
Common misconceptions
‘A doctor with FHKAM must be a specialist’: not necessarily. Fellowship is the route to the Specialist Register, and the Academy must also certify that the doctor has completed specialist training and met the continuing medical education requirements; whether a doctor is a specialist, and in which specialty, is shown on the Medical Council's Specialist Register.
‘Overseas qualifications such as MRCP and FRCP are equivalent to a Hong Kong specialist qualification’: no. These qualifications can be quoted according to the Medical Council's list, but only doctors on the Specialist Register are recognised as specialists.
‘Doctors can call themselves a particular kind of doctor according to their own expertise’: they cannot. A doctor not on the Specialist Register may not call himself or herself a specialist, nor use a description that implies a specialty, such as ‘skin doctor’.
Frequently asked questions
If a doctor has FHKAM, is he or she always a specialist?
Fellowship is the route to applying for the Specialist Register, but to be included on the register, the Academy must also certify that the doctor has completed specialist training and met the continuing medical education requirements. Whether a doctor is a specialist, and in which specialty, should be checked on the Medical Council's Specialist Register.
Can a doctor who is not on the Specialist Register call himself or herself a particular kind of doctor, or use a title that implies a specialty?
No. A doctor not on the Specialist Register may not call himself or herself a specialist, nor use a description or title that implies a specialty, such as ‘skin doctor’ (Medical Council Code of Professional Conduct, section 7, October 2022).
What is the difference between MRCP and FRCP?
MRCP (UK) is awarded jointly by the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and its Chinese name on the Medical Council list is 英國皇家內科醫學院院士; FRCP is awarded by the Royal College of Physicians of London, and its Chinese name is 英國倫敦皇家內科醫學院榮授院士.
What does FHKAM stand for?
FHKAM means Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine; the brackets show the field, for example FHKAM (Medicine) is internal medicine. Fellowship is the route to the Specialist Register, but the doctor must also be certified by the Academy as having completed specialist training and met continuing medical education requirements; whether a doctor is a specialist, and in which specialty, is shown on the Medical Council's Specialist Register.
How are FHKAM (Medicine) and FHKCP related?
FHKCP means Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians, a constituent college of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. Our analysis: adult cardiology is a specialty of the Hong Kong College of Physicians, so doctors listed under Cardiology on the Specialist Register generally hold the qualifications of Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Medicine) and Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians, that is, FHKAM (Medicine) and FHKCP.