Acceptance by patients of the student in general practice

A survey was done of the attitude of 4,852 patients to the presence of students in general practitioners' consulting rooms during the 5th year general practice apprenticeship in Queensland. Overall acceptance was 94 per cent. This was remarkably consistent with the results of a similar study in Aberdeen in 1970. Students were more welcome in country practices than in practices in provincial cities and Brisbane, and were also more welcome in solo than in group practices. A plea is made for general practitioners to cooperate, not only as preceptors in the apprenticeship scheme, but also to take part in the collection of basic data for research projects initiated by the sub-Department of Community Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine.