Core General Practice

As part of Year 5 Module A (Child and Family Health) all UCL medical students spend 18 days in a GP practice over six weeks as part of their Core General Practice course.

Course content

The six Core GP weeks are made up as follows:

  • One day introduction to primary care in the NHS (first Monday at Royal Free Campus).
  • The equivalent of 18 days core GP experience in an allocated practice.
  • Five(Weds) mornings for campus-based seminar programme.
  • Culinary medicine workshop (some Thursdays) and half day self-directed learning
  • CAMHs workshop (some Fridays)
  • Self-directed learning days

Course aims

  • To enable students to experience and understand the provision of care to individuals and families in general practice and become aware of the nature, scope and limitations of the discipline.
  • To provide an opportunity for students to practise and integrate their clinical skills in terms of history taking, physical examination, and patient management.
  • To encourage students to reflect on their experiences in medical education and develop an integrated and holistic approach to patient care.
  • To address the principles outlined in the SAPC/RCGP guidance  “Teaching General Practice”

Please follow the links provided for further information. New teaching practices are always welcome to join us, so please get in touch via pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk if you are interested in hosting these placements in the future.

 

By the end of the Core GP attachment students should be equipped to:

  • Experience and understand the provision of care to individuals and families in general practice and become aware of the nature, scope and limitations of the discipline.
  • Practise and integrate clinical skills, including eliciting a history, physical examination, and patient management.
  • Reflect on experiences in medical education and develop an integrated and holistic approach to patient care.
  • Describe, with examples, the presentation, diagnosis, investigation and management of the common types of Emergencies seen in General Practice.
  • Describe, with examples, the presentation, diagnosis, investigation and management of the common types of acute problems in General Practice.
  • Describe, with examples, the presentation, diagnosis, investigation and management of the common types of Chronic problems in General Practice.
  • Describe, with examples, the presentation, diagnosis, investigation and management of the common types of Psychological and social problems in General Practice.
  • Discuss, with examples, different aspects of health promotion and disease prevention seen in Primary Care.
  • Describe the basic organisation of NHS Primary Care and some features which distinguish it from health care systems in most other countries.
  • Elicit a focused history from patients presenting with any symptom or problem in a short period of time
  • Perform brief focused clinical examinations relating all systems and to problems which are not easily attributed to any one body system.
  • Present findings from history and examination in a concise manner with basic management plan included in formulation.
  • Describe basic theory relating to the GP consultation and discuss how this can be applied in practice.
  • Describe and understand the roles of other health care professionals in Primary Care and General Practice
  • Recognise problems that more commonly affect deprived and inner city populations.
  • Recognise the importance of evidence and research in Primary Health Care.
  • Recognise the complex organisation of primary healthcare; its interface with other services, infrastructure, and dynamic response to policy and patient needs.
  • Identify methods used in General Practice to inform decision-making and practice including health economics, experiential knowledge (of patient and professional), and a variety of research and policy evidence.
  • Work collaboratively in problem framing with patients; acknowledging stressful life experience, illness and disease as legitimate patient presentations, and related interfaces with health justice organisations.

Attendance

Please note that attendance of all practice-based teaching is compulsory, and will be monitored as part of your firm assessment. 

Patients are usually asked specially to attend for the teaching sessions so, if for any genuine reason you are unable to attend, it is essential that you contact the practice that is expecting you and pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk . Please also fill in the Absence Report and Leave Request Form.

Click on this link for Student Support and Wellbeing 

Any queries

If you have any general questions about your Core GP placement, please contact pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk.

For further information students should refer to the following:

Attendance

Attendance of General Practice sessions is compulsory. Students are told that should exceptional circumstances arise, and they are unable to attend a placement, they should immediately inform PCPH Administration pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk and the practice which is expecting them.

If a student fails to attend without prior warning, please email pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk as soon a possible.

We do not usually consider it appropriate for students who are suddenly unwell, or unfit to attend, to inform you of this via another student. If this happens, please let us know via pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk .

Further information:

UCL Medical School A-Z of Policies and FAQs

Concerns about students

If you have any concerns of a pastoral or educational nature about any students, please take a look at the Medical School's Concern over Professional Behaviour policy, and contact pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk.

Important documents

 

Core GP Contacts

Prof. Joe Rosenthal
Academic Lead

pcphmeded@ucl.ac.uk
Ms Jingyu Pan (Primary Care Placements Administrator)