GP Educators
Here at Leeds, our medical students spend approximately 20% of their studies in primary care, with NHS placements across all five years of the MBChB curriculum.
Why have placements?
Placements offer teaching in early clinical years, professionalism, clinical method, clinical and consultation skills, specialist primary care, chronic disease and cancer, paediatrics, and applied clinical medicine.
Our primary care undergraduate teaching is fully integrated within the MBChB curriculum and directly mapped onto the aims of the GMC document ‘Outcomes for Graduates’ This ensures primary care is strongly represented at Leeds and a career in general practice is shown as a positive option. Our tutors are vital for their influence as role models and we firmly believe that undergraduate teaching, if supported, has the potential to enhance the provision of primary care in the NHS providing benefits to both patients and General Practice as a whole.
We currently have 114 GP surgeries from across West and North Yorkshire taking medical students on placement. It is vital that our students have the opportunity to experience a range of primary care placements and we are keen to place our students in a variety practices from those based in the inner cities to practices providing care in more suburban and rural settings. We’re always interested in recruiting new practices, please see details below.
How are placements supported?
The Academic Unit of Primary Care oversees the development, support and quality assurance of undergraduate placements in primary care.
We have a highly experienced quality improvement team who work with our practices to ensure they are providing placements of the highest quality. This includes a visit or appointment with one of the team each year; relevant tutor guides and desirable learning outcomes are discussed with emphasis placed on how best to timetable in order to deliver these. Tutors are given the opportunity to reflect on their teaching and are expected to agree a plan for continuing professional development (CPD) with us, with the emphasis being on improving skills in learning and teaching. This is summarised for the benefit of our tutors’ appraisals and revalidation. Issues of quality are discussed and an active dialogue is taking place as to what are the attributes and qualities of a good primary care placement. Specialist continuing professional development workshops are also provided by the Unit; these are tailored to our tutors’ needs and aligned to the learning objectives of each year group taught by our practices. The School of Medicine also has a full range of CPD courses which would be available to you.
Tutors are also required to examine in our OSCEs as part of the practice’s commitment to the University.
How do I get involved?
If you are interested in taking medical students at your practice, please contact Lizzie Luff for further information and we will arrange for the Quality Assurance lead for your area to visit the practice and discuss the opportunities available to you.
If you are a GP trainee in your final 12-24 months of training, then you can still get involved via our visiting lecturer scheme. Please see our GP Speciality Trainee Visiting Lecturers page.