Abstract
Background: All UK medical schools use primary care settings to deliver their undergraduate courses. However there is no national undergraduate curriculum for primary care and it is thought that the learning objectives of primary care teaching vary considerably between medical schools. Aim: The overall aim was to establish what is being taught within and by primary care across UK medical schools. We did this by collating learning objectives from the primary care department at each school. In order to categorise and compare the list of learning objectives from each school we mapped the learning objectives to the postgraduate curriculum of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). Design and setting: Cross sectional survey sent to heads of teaching of primary care at all 32 UK medical schools. Method: GP teacher handbooks for primary care modules at each medical school were requested. Information was extracted based on key headings from the RCGP postgraduate curriculum. Results: Topics taught by primary care at all medical schools include: consulting and communication skills, leading and working in teams, and developing yourself and others. Novel topics, taught at a few medical schools include: learning disability, genetics and multi-morbidity. The majority of medical schools address aspects of over half of the RCGP postgraduate curriculum headings in their learning objectives for primary care. Conclusion: This project provides valuable information about primary care teaching at an undergraduate level across the UK. Although it confirms widespread variation in learning objectives, it also highlights considerable common ground and opportunities for sharing teaching resources between schools.
Highlights
Primary care teaching for undergraduate medical students has increased considerably over the last 30 years. [1] Several influential documents including the Mackenzie report [2] and Tomorrow’s Doctors [3,4] have highlighted the need for increased teaching outside hospital and have influenced the shift from ad hoc to more structured primary care teaching
This meant that each module of the course that concentrated on a clinical specialty included teaching about the primary care aspects of this topic alongside hospital teaching. This project provides valuable information about core primary care learning objectives at an undergraduate level across the UK. It confirms a widespread variation in learning objectives, it highlights significant common ground with the majority of medical schools covering aspects of the majority of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) postgraduate primary care headings
The primary care curriculum at most schools provides a firm foundation for the RCGP postgraduate curriculum
Summary
Primary care teaching for undergraduate medical students has increased considerably over the last 30 years. [1] Several influential documents including the Mackenzie report [2] and Tomorrow’s Doctors [3,4] have highlighted the need for increased teaching outside hospital and have influenced the shift from ad hoc to more structured primary care teaching. The General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) declaration of its aspiration for a national medical examination, the recent release of the commission on generalism [8] and the shape of training review,[9] all suggest an increasing need for generalist broad based training It can be argued, that there is an increasing need for primary care learning objectives to be standardised across the UK.[10] To do this, we need to start by establishing what is already being taught. It confirms widespread variation in learning objectives, it highlights considerable common ground and opportunities for sharing teaching resources between schools
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