An experiment in training in child care for general practitioners

The educational objectives for training general practitioners are widely agreed. However, there is a shortage of paediatric posts in hospital, especially in Scotland. As there are obvious advantages in training clinicians who will work in general practice in the setting of general practice, we have initiated 10 posts in training each of six months' duration and each in addition to the trainee year. Three months will be spent in general practice itself and systematic teaching will also be provided for three months by the Edinburgh School of Community Paediatrics. Pre-course and post-course assessments will be carried out and the learning achieved will be evaluated.