An innovative long final year assistantship in general practice: description and evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• General Practice
• Primary Care

Background:

• Final year medical students require robust clinical training before residency.
• General practice settings offer unique opportunities for patient interaction and skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an immersive 15-week general practice assistantship for final year medical students.
• To assess the program's impact on student preparedness for professional practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of five years of routine school data and national comparative data.
• Evaluation of student self-reported experiences and preparedness.
• Comparison with national survey data on graduate preparedness.

Main Results:

• Students consulted with an estimated 450+ patients, reporting increased usefulness to practice teams and valuable feedback.
• High self-reported preparedness for practice was observed in school exit surveys and national F1 supervisor assessments.
• A small percentage found the assistantship too long, with some experiencing a learning plateau, which led to program modifications.

Conclusions:

• General practice assistantships are valuable for consolidating medical student knowledge and skills.
• This immersive program significantly enhances senior medical students' preparedness for post-graduate practice.
• The general practice setting plays a crucial role in medical education and developing practice-ready physicians.