Our teaching and what to expect…..
General Practice Specialist Trainees
These doctors have decided on a career in General Practice and will be with us for either a 6 month or one year attachment under the supervision of Dr Dodhia and Dr Mehrali.
To become an independent General Practitioner in the UK, after qualifying as a doctor and completing the two year foundation programme, you must undertake at least three years of GP Specialty Training (GPST), normally including 18 months in an approved training practice with a further 18 months in approved hospital posts. To become a General Practitioner the trainee must possess a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). During all your placements they complete workplace based assessments as well as preparing for the external MRCGP examinations – the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA).
Progress is monitored at least yearly by an Annual Review of Competency Progress (ARCP) Panel.
Foundation Year 2 Doctors
These young doctors are all fully qualified and registered with the General Medical Council and are employed by the NHS. They have already had one year of hospital experience working as junior doctors on the Foundation Year 1 programme, usually on busy surgical and general medical wards. They used to be known as pre-registration house officers. They are now extending their experience and stay in our practice for several months, broadening their skills and putting their extensive knowledge to practical use to help them look after patients to a high standard. They are closely supervised at all times and undertake additional studies.
You will receive the same level of care from these doctors as you would from any of the GPs at the practice. You may have longer consultations and the doctor may go into more detail. The doctor may call upon their supervisor if they are unsure and their consultations are reviewed later. You may also be asked for feedback.
Some of these doctors may become GPs whilst others will choose a hospital based specialty. Whatever career they follow, experience in general practice and the community is important for them to understand how the NHS works. We hope you will welcome them and support the development of the next generation of doctors and we thank you for your assistance.
Video recording of consultations
To help them develop the way they interact with patients, we may record certain consultations to view with our trainee doctors. You will be asked for permission. Please don’t be afraid to say no but if you agree you will be asked to sign a consent form. The recording will be used for educational purposes only and will be strictly protected and deleted when no longer needed.
Undergraduate Medical Students
We teach undergraduate medical students from The Royal Free and University College Medical School. As future doctors it is important for them to gain experience seeing people outside the hospital. Over 90% of medical care takes place in the community and so students need to develop a knowledge of this as well as an understanding of how various conditions affect people in their everyday life. They also learn how to communicate more effectively and become more confident. Your cooperation is especially appreciated and the community attachments are often rated among the best parts of their course! They may see you in a normal surgery appointment or you may be asked if you can spare the time to attend a special teaching session. You may even learn something interesting yourself!
You will always be warned and asked whether you mind a student being present and we fully understand if you’d rather they left during your consultation.
Other Healthcare Professional training
Some other NHS professionals and students may come to the practice for training and experience. This may include other doctors, nurses, pharmacists, healthcare assistants and so on. They may sit in during your consultation. You will always be asked in advance if you are happy with this. If you are not, please do not be afraid to say.