Medical applicant general practice experience and career aspirations: a questionnaire study

Priyesh Agravat,Katherine Woolf,Nina Dutta,Haji Mohamed Abdirahman,Sara Beqiri,Esme Goudie,Shahraz Islam,Ayesha Alam,Smruthy Chakka,Roshni Goodka,Tafsir Ahmed,Katy Chisenga,Ankita Kotamarthi,Fahima Amin,Ayobami Emmanuel Olatunji,Nida Hafiz,I C Mcmanus ,Amer Al‐Balah ,Molly Fyfe ,Douglas G J Mckechnie ,David J Harrison ,Mainuddin Ahmed

doi:10.3399/bjgpo.2021.0023

Abstract

BackgroundIncreasing access to general practice work experience placements for school students is a strategy for improving general practice recruitment, despite limited evidence and concerns surrounding equity of access to general practice experiences.AimsTo examine the association between undertaking general practice experience and the perceptions of general practice as an appealing future career among prospective medical applicants. To identify socioeconomic factors associated with obtaining general practice experience.Design & settingCross-sectional questionnaire study in the UK.MethodParticipants were UK residents aged ≥16 years and seriously considering applying to study medicine in 2019/2020. They were invited to take part via the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). Questionnaire data were analysed using a linear regression of general practice appeal on general practice experience, adjusting for career motivations and demographics, and a logistic regression of general practice experience on measures of social capital and demographics.ResultsOf 6391 responders, 4031 were in their last year of school. General practice experience predicted general practice appeal after adjusting for career motivation and demographics (b = 0.37, standard error [SE] = 0.06, P<0.00001). General practice experience was more common among students at private (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31 to 2.08, P<0.0001) or grammar schools (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.72, P = 0.03) and in the highest socioeconomic group (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.28 to 2.05, P<0.0001), and less likely among students of ‘other’ ethnicity (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.20 to 0.67, P = 0.0011).ConclusionHaving general practice experience prior to medical school was associated with finding general practice appealing, which supports its utility in recruitment. Applicants from more deprived backgrounds were less likely to have had a general practice experience, possibly through lack of accessible opportunities.

Highlights

There is an ongoing workforce crisis in general practice
General practice experience was more common among students at private or grammar schools (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.72, P = 0.03) and in the highest socioeconomic group (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.28 to 2.05, P
Having general practice experience prior to medical school was associated with finding general practice appealing, which supports its utility in recruitment

Summary

Introduction

The UK Medical Schools Council (MSC) describes work experience as ‘an essential part of the medical school application’;2 their definition of work experience includes paid employment, volunteering (for example, caring roles), and direct observation of health care, such as ‘shadowing’ a healthcare professional. This remains the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools recognise the limited opportunities students have to gain work experience, and MSC recommends two virtual work experience courses (one focused on general practice), as well as volunteering and keeping a reflective diary.[3].

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Discussion

Conclusion