Preregistration house officers in general practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• General Practice Training
• Preregistration Year

Background:

• House officers (interns) undergo crucial preregistration training.
• Current training models predominantly feature hospital-based rotations.
• The value and structure of general practice rotations require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate preregistration house officers' experiences in general practice rotations.
• To compare working hours and clinical duties between hospital-based and general practice-based house officers.
• To assess the satisfaction levels and educational benefits of general practice rotations.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire was distributed to house officers who completed general practice rotations.
• Participants self-recorded working hours and duties over four consecutive weeks.
• Data were collected from a London teaching hospital and associated general practices.

Main Results:

• A high response rate (93%) was achieved for the questionnaires.
• Most participants (25/28) were satisfied with general practice rotations and recommended them.
• General practice house officers worked fewer hours (41/week) with more clinical time (58%) and received more teaching (3 hours/week) compared to hospital counterparts (55.5 hours/week, 22.5% clinical, <1 hour teaching).

Conclusions:

• General practice rotations are a popular and satisfactory alternative to traditional hospital-based preregistration training.
• The findings suggest that general practice offers a valuable clinical and educational experience for preregistration house officers.
• Medical schools are encouraged to consider implementing or expanding general practice options for preregistration training.