Providing early clinical experience in primary care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Primary Care Medicine
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• British medical schools are adapting undergraduate curricula based on General Medical Council recommendations.
• There is a growing emphasis on community-based teaching within medical education.
• Nottingham Medical School introduced early clinical experience in primary care for pre-clinical students to foster an integrated curriculum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial two years of an early clinical experience course for pre-clinical medical students.
• To assess student confidence, understanding of the medical profession, and motivation for basic science learning.
• To gather feedback from General Practice (GP) tutors involved in the program.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study design was employed.
• Interviews were conducted with 19 students and their GP tutors.
• The study focused on the first two years of the early clinical experience course.

Main Results:

• Students reported increased confidence in patient communication and understanding of the doctor-patient relationship.
• Some students expressed lower confidence in patient examination skills due to limited practice opportunities.
• Approximately half of the students felt the early clinical visits improved their understanding and motivation for basic medical sciences.
• GP tutors were highly motivated and positive about teaching pre-clinical students.

Conclusions:

• The early clinical experience course at Nottingham demonstrates the feasibility of teaching basic clinical skills to pre-clinical students in a primary care setting.
• While communication skills and motivation showed improvement, further development is needed for patient examination skills.
• Challenges identified include communication, student travel logistics, and variability in teaching quality, which require attention for program optimization.