Radical solutions are needed to meet the challenge of medical student placement capacity in primary care

Abstract

Despite all efforts to increase capacity UK medical schools are facing genuine difficulty in recruiting sufficient GP practices to provide essential clinical placements for their medical students. In order to meet current demand, let alone the planned doubling in medical student numbers 1 , a radical solution is required. We believe that the only way to accommodate the recently proposed increase in medical student numbers is to make teaching medical undergraduates a mandatory requirement for all NHS general practices.It is critical that we address this shortfall in practices to ensure that we continue to provide students with exposure to high quality placements in general practice. At present, GP teaching constitutes just 9.2% of medical curricula in the UK 2 despite recommendations that it should constitute 25% 3 . Without a significant increase in placement capacity, we risk having to reduce dramatically the proportion of teaching delivered in general practice.

Meeting the challenge of medical student placement capacity in primary care by rewiring later-career GPs

“…Thornton et al 1 have missed a potentially significant way to increase medical student placement capacity in primary care and simultaneously help with GP retention. The Later Career and Retired Members group (LCARM) of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has, for a long time, been encouraging the development of 'portfolio careers' for older GPs.…”

“…Registered Reports (RRs) are a publication format that is submitted in two stages. 1 At Stage 1, the introduction and proposed methods are peer reviewed prior to commencing the study, and can be granted in-principle acceptance. At Stage 2, the full study is peer reviewed to ensure that the protocol has been adhered to, with minor deviations documented and justified.…”