Wanted: Nearer peers for teaching and learning in general practice

Wanted: Nearer peers for teaching and learning in general practice

Should medical students in general practice only be placed with experienced general practitioners (GPs) or should they also work with, and learn from, GP registrars? The answer, from previous literature and our recent findings, is ‘Both’, with each offering different but valuable learning experiences. Establishing a model where registrars in training and early-, mid- and late-career GPs collaborate in the teaching of medical students creates teaching and learning synergies. Importantly, strengthening near-peer teaching and learning relationships in general practice could positively impact on general practice recruitment, retention and work satisfaction.

We know that medical students value general practice placements; many GPs cite positive student experiences as having influenced their career decision1,2 and students placed in general practice for longer periods are more likely to enter general practice training.1–3 Universities are responding to the well-identified need4,5 to attract more medical students into general practice careers by embedding more general practice teaching in medical programs.6,7 To mitigate strain on the teaching capacity of general practices, we explored a more structured approach to consider whether GP registrar teaching of medical students should be implemented more widely.

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