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In the newest installment of the new Medical Education Connections series, Brown and Younie juxtapose recent findings to offer insight into how to nurture person‐centredness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of ‘beginner’s mind’ invites the expert medical professional to be present to their patients, remaining curious and responsive in the face of the individuality of illness. Each patient is a universe of unknowns, presenting with suffering which cannot always be classified with a diagnosis. Improvisation and openness may not just benefit our patients enduring their patient journeys but may also revive and reconnect us with our own humanity. Why this matters to meMy experience as cancer patient brought home to me the value of encountering a doctor who was present and able to listen and respond to me as an individual. It did not necessarily take longer, but was about an attitude of heart.Like any professional, as GPs we are at risk of presumption and habitual thinking. Beginner’s mind, that is recapturing the openness and curiosity modelled to us by children, can powerfully transform the medical encounter, allowing space for emergence of patient perspective and doctor response. Key messageEmbrace curiosity and learning into our expert clinical practice [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on aspects related to notions dealing with vulnerable patients and efficient physicians. Topics discussed include vulnerable diseased conditions of patient suffering from breast cancer, sharing of humanity and maintenance of distance to allow wound healing, and postulates for medical care.

Remote consulting has become part of the medical student clinical experience in primary care, but little research exists regarding the impact on learning. To describe the experiences of General Practitioner (GP) educators and medical students in using student-led remote consultations as an educational tool. A qualitative, explorative study conducted at four UK medical schools. GP educators and medical students were purposively sampled and interviewed. Nine themes arose: practical application, autonomy, heuristics, safety, triage of undifferentiated patients, clinical reasoning, patient inclusion in student education, student–patient interaction, and student–doctor interaction. Remote consulting has become part of the clinical placement experience. This has been found to expose students to a wider variety of clinical presentations. Verbal communication, history-taking, triage, and clinical reasoning skills were practised through remote consulting, but examination skills development was lacking. Students found building rapport more challenging, although this was mitigated by having more time with patients. Greater clinical risk was perceived in remote consulting, which had potential to negatively impact students' psychological safety. Frequent debriefs could ameliorate this risk and positively impact student–doctor relationships. Student autonomy and independence increased due to greater participation and responsibility. Pre-selection of patients could be helpful but had potential to expose students to lower complexity patients. Practice points Remote consulting confers unique educational benefits. Remote consulting can help develop history-taking and communication skills, as well as clinical reasoning skills. The psychological safety of the student and the supervisory risk of the tutor can be impacted by remote consulting, but frequent debriefs between the student and tutor can help mitigate this risk. Learning how to conduct remote, and face-to-face consultations is important in medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2004, medical students at the University of Bristol have been required as part of their core curriculum to submit creative works for assessment. This requirement, which we term, ironically, compulsory creativity, may be unique within medical education where arts-based modules are typically elective. Such courses often harness the insights of established artists and writers in the illumination of medical themes. Less commonly students are called upon to link their own creative work with clinical and other life experience. Occasions for students to develop such an interpretative voice are generally sparse but the benefits can be argued theoretically and practically. In this paper we explore the rationale for the inclusion of such opportunities, the ways in which we have woven creativity into the curriculum and the sorts of artistic outputs we have witnessed. Contextualised links to a wide range of original student works from the www.outofourheads.net website are provided, as is a range of student reflection on the creative process ranging from the bemused to the ecstatic. The paper provides a model and a guide for educationalists interested in developing artistic creativity within the medical curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) held in Bristol, England. Conference attendees discussed a variety of topics, including the promotion of excellent teaching and research on primary care. They also raised the importance of a multidisciplinary membership of the SAPC.