med student GP placement

medicine12345

Hi everyone, question for any GPs or other doctors on here or even med students who have done GP placements - when on the placements do you sit in on all the consults with the GP and were you asked to leave for many of them. Do you get to do any clinical skills, eg taking blood.

Also do GPs find it awkward to have a student in with them in the setting of general practice as opposed to hospital medicine as the nature of the patients' problems may be more 'personal'.

Thanks for any insight!

Nonoperational

Depends on the GP practice.

You sit in for a few hours a day. I would say that approximately 5% of patients would ask you to leave. Some GPs let you take blood, do ECGs, BP etc. Some let you do nothing.

GPs don't find it awkward in the slightest, some patients might.

dewdrop

Recently when i went to my GP on a routine visit there was a junior doctor with him and he asked me did i mind her presence. Naturally i said no and she took my blood pressure and blood samples. While on this subject is the 4 year GP training in Ireland regarded as good/better/worse than that in the UK?

Vorsprung

dewdrop wrote: »

Recently when i went to my GP on a routine visit there was a junior doctor with him and he asked me did i mind her presence. Naturally i said no and she took my blood pressure and blood samples. While on this subject is the 4 year GP training in Ireland regarded as good/better/worse than that in the UK?

Based on how keen the likes of Australia/Canada are to get both Irish and UK trained GPs, I'd say about the same.

Abby19

medicine12345 wrote: »

Hi everyone, question for any GPs or other doctors on here or even med students who have done GP placements - when on the placements do you sit in on all the consults with the GP and were you asked to leave for many of them. Do you get to do any clinical skills, eg taking blood.

Also do GPs find it awkward to have a student in with them in the setting of general practice as opposed to hospital medicine as the nature of the patients' problems may be more 'personal'.

Thanks for any insight!

Nonoperational wrote: »

Depends on the GP practice.

You sit in for a few hours a day. I would say that approximately 5% of patients would ask you to leave. Some GPs let you take blood, do ECGs, BP etc. Some let you do nothing.

GPs don't find it awkward in the slightest, some patients might.

It depends - some GPs are happy with students only sitting in on morning sessions, I've had some who expect you to be there 9-6, and visit the nursing home during lunch - gives you an idea of what to expect when working as one. You can be a bit invisible, and they can point out interesting signs, eg get you to listen to a chest after them. But can generally ask questions between patients. I generally ask if it is OK to use my phone to look up drugs etc between patients - been OK so far, but don't want them to think I am texting etc.

BTW if you are a med student - then your GP has signed up to take a student, not just have you thrust at them with no notice or anything. They are well used to it and usually have a chair tucked away in a corner for students.

As for sitting in with patients - it can depend on the gender. Patients may prefer to see a GP of their own gender. As a female student I was asked to step out on one consultation when with a female GP. When with a male GP I was asked to step out of 5/6 consultations who were males, no females. So whether uncomfortable with a student or a female I can't say.

Frequently asked to measure pulse and BP, give flu vaccinations. Can be given own consulting room if one free and see patients and then reviewed by GP.
Some practices have practice nurse and you can go in with them for a while and do vaccinations, bloods, etc. help with dressing changes.

Also in larger practices there may be a few GPs so you may get to sit in with different ones.