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Exposing medical student cohorts to the lived reality of uncertainty and complexity experienced by GPs is challenging to achieve. We present a novel teaching concept: 'Challenge GP' designed for early years students. Gamification methodology is used to reproduce key elements of the 'duty GP' experience in a classroom setting where working in teams, students play a competitive card game. Cards drawn at random pose scenarios based on practical, logistical, and ethical dilemmas of a duty doctor surgery. Each team discusses whether to score by reporting a decision or play special cards to pass the dilemma onto, or collaborate with, another team. Answers are facilitated and scored by a GP tutor. Student feedback demonstrated highly effective learning for clinical reasoning, risk management and problem-solving. Students were exposed to the uncertainty and complexity of real-life medicine. Gamification, through competitiveness, increased task engagement. Students learned the value of working in teams under time pressure and grew in confidence by sharing knowledge in a safe environment. Students were enabled to think, feel and practise as real-life clinicians. This became a powerful force in contextualising their theory-based knowledge, aided understanding of the GP role and opened their eyes to a possible career in general practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether GPs can support medical students in learning basic neurology in the context of a traditional hospital neurology attachment. Method: This was a qualitative evaluation using routinely collected data from stakeholders, consisting of qualitative data in the form of student evaluation questionnaires, course documentation and correspondence from faculty staff. Results: The addition of GP teaching to the programme increased availability of patients with neurological problems accessible to students and provided a safe, supportive environment for students to learn their fundamental clinical skills. Students gained valuable insights into the impact of neurological disease from the perspective of patients, their families and carers. GP teaching of neurology was well regarded by students. Some GP tutors felt they lacked adequate experience to teach more technical aspects of neurology, and some students shared this concern. Concepts of professional boundaries between generalists and specialists were not observed, but GP teaching was perceived to be 'other' or outside normal medical school activity. Conclusions: General practitioners can successfully facilitate students' access to patients with neurological disease and employ their generalist to enhance neurological learning. Some GPs were initially uncomfortable with teaching skills such as detailed neurological physical examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentoring in general practice nurtures personal and professional development among mentees and mentors and enhances organisational productivity. Yet, failure to define it leads to variations in understanding and practice and conflation with other educational approaches. As a result, mentoring in general practice is underutilised and poorly overseen. This review seeks to identify elements among successful mentoring relationships to aid the design of local mentoring programmes. Reports of undergraduate and postgraduate mentoring programmes in general practice were analysed thematically. A literature search of mentoring of junior postgraduates or undergraduates by experienced mentors in general practice between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015 was done using PubMed, ERIC, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and OVID. A total of 1973 abstracts were retrieved and 9 full-text articles were included and analysed. Three themes were identified, including the initiation of mentoring relationships, the mentoring relationship and the mentoring environment. Successful mentoring programmes pivot upon effective mentoring relationships. Based on the themes identified, a framework to guide practice, structure and oversight of the mentoring process is forwarded. Further contextspecific study is needed to ensure the viability of the Mentoring Framework to better employ mentoring in general practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the value-added medical education approach devised by the Stanford Healthcare Innovations and Experiential Learning Directive (SHIELD) program. Details related to the challenges faced by medical schools, along with an overview of the SHIELD progrmmes and expected outcomes are presented.

The article presents the discussion on determining the current level of involvement in undergraduate medical education of GP registrars. Topics include initially collected data by sending the same six-question survey being used in 2015 to ST2 and ST3 GP registrars in the region; and benefits to both practices and registrars strongly recommending the area needs to be highlighted as a matter of great importance in future.

Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LICs) are beginning to replace traditional short undergraduate rotations in general practice. LIC’s differ from traditional rotations in that they are longer, they involve sustained relationships between students, patients and health professionals; and they integrate various strands of medical education. From early development in the US and Australia, LICs are now a fast-growing phenomenon across the world. We present three papers that seek to explain what LICs are, the evidence for their effectiveness and the practicalities of establishing or delivering a longitudinal integrated clerkship. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]