The clinical and educational experiences of pre-registration house officers in general practice

Abstract

For the majority of PRHOs, the time spent in general practice was seen as a positive clinical and educational experience. In a variety of ways, the general practice placement encouraged PRHOs to develop the self-directed learning skills seen as essential to the lifelong learning advocated by the GMC. A number of recommendations are made to help improve the integration of the hospital and general practice components of these rotations.

Preregistration house officers in general practice: review of evidence

“…Several studies used qualitative methods, reporting main themes rather than responses to questions. 4–6 9 10 12 We report on the views of 180 preregistration house officers, 45 general practitioner trainers, and 105 consultant trainers (table). 3 4 6 22 25…”

Factors influencing the development of practical skills of interns working in regional hospitals of the Western Cape province of South Africa

“…It was also found that the level at which interns functioned in these hospitals was very high when compared to other countries. 7,13,24 This implies that, with sufficient support and supervision, the combination of university training and an internship year is adequately preparing junior doctors for independent practice in this region. It may be of interest to repeat this exercise in a couple of years, when all universities will follow a new format of teaching with greater focus on practical skills.…”

“…6 More recently, though, newly-qualified doctors have found their first year to be positive and educational when they are placed in a general practice rotation that provides supervision and clinical experience. 7 Many authors feel that the pre-registration year is not primarily the place to learn practical skills and that these should rather be taught at undergraduate level using a more structured approach. 1,4,5,8,9,10,11 Evidence shows that inadequate exposure to practical procedures and common clinical conditions and insufficient training in difficult communication skills lead to a high incidence of emotional distress.…”

“…2,12,13 More recently, researchers have suggested using lists or logbooks of basic skills, drawn up from consensus amongst clinical staff, that the students are required to master by the completion of their studies. 7 These researchers found that a problem-based learning environment, combined with community-based education and the use of skills laboratories, allowed medical students to perform more skills during their clerkships and develop greater confidence. 7,14,15 Problem-based learning methods have also shown an increased percentage of long-term recall.…”

“…7 These researchers found that a problem-based learning environment, combined with community-based education and the use of skills laboratories, allowed medical students to perform more skills during their clerkships and develop greater confidence. 7,14,15 Problem-based learning methods have also shown an increased percentage of long-term recall. 16 When comparing traditional courses with problemoriented, context-based courses, the latter generally have been found to be superior.…”