Initial experiences of a student assistantship

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Doctoral Training
• Healthcare Transition

Background:

• Medical graduates often lack preparedness for junior doctor roles.
• The UK General Medical Council (GMC) proposed student assistantships to ease this transition.
• Assistantships involve final-year students undertaking supervised foundation doctor duties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of the initial cohort of students and supervisors in a UK medical school's assistantship program.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the assistantship in preparing graduates for junior doctor responsibilities.

Main Methods:

• Online feedback questionnaires were distributed to 248 students and their supervisors.
• Focus groups were conducted with recent graduates who participated in the assistantship.
• Response rates for questionnaires were 49% for students and 43% for supervisors.

Main Results:

• Participant feedback aligned with GMC recommendations and local learning outcomes.
• Key themes included the value of meaningful patient care responsibility.
• Effective feedback and placements in general medical/surgical wards were identified as crucial.

Conclusions:

• The student assistantship was highly valued by participants.
• Improvements could include ensuring relevant clinical placements and responsibilities for all students.
• The program shows promise in enhancing junior doctor preparedness.