Year 1

In year one, students are expected to attend the practice each Wednesday during term time between mid-October and early July. We recommend that they spend a minimum of 7 hours (excluding breaks) in the practice, although the number of hours attended and how these are structured, can be negotiated between supervisor and student. The total number of clinical placement days in year 1 is 35 and students are required to complete a minimum of 31 days to progress into year 2 of the programme. This number mitigates for any periods of illness and/or unforeseen absence. 

Unless the student is unwell or has agreement from both the university and the placement not to attend on a specific day, they are expected to be on placement. Students should make up any missed days by the end of each term, if their absences exceed 7 days. If a student is repeatedly absent or late, the practice should notify the placements team with the dates of absences and episodes of lateness. 

Year 2

In year 2, students will attend clinical placement full-time for 42 weeks (excluding holidays), with approximately every third Monday back in the university for small group discussion and revision sessions designed to complement clinical placements. They will return to their GP placement for a period of 9 weeks and attend full-time, Monday to Friday.

Students are expected to attend their placement five days per week, with the exception of university holidays, Bank Holidays, study days and exams. As per the PAPER B attendance requirements, students are expected to attend 100% of the time. However, where students may have absences due to ill health or other circumstances, they must achieve above 90% attendance in total on these placement days to pass PAPER B.

Guidance on attendance:

In order to meet the required outcomes of the programme, we recommend that students aim to complete a minimum of 35 hours per week or 30 hours if the week is impacted by a university study day, exam or Bank Holiday, with attendance Monday - Friday. How these hours are structured daily can be established between supervisor and GP Supervisor. 

Students cannot compress hours and should expect to attend 5 days per week. 

Attendance should be evidenced via completion of an Attendance Log. It is the student’s responsibility to seek supervisor sign-off. If the supervisor is unavailable, sign-off can be delegated to another GP who can verify attendance. 

Absences

If a student is unwell and cannot attend their placement, they are required to email their supervisor (including other relevant members of the practice team) and PA_CP@sgul.ac.uk by 9am on the day affected.

Absences will be monitored on a termly basis and any student who has consistent periods of absence will be required to meet with the placements team, as a supportive measure. If you have any concerns regarding a student absence/s, please do contact us as a priority.

Missed days may be remediated (such as attendance at weekends or during holidays), however if the period of absence is significant, the student should discuss what is achievable with their GP supervisor and the placements team. The result of this will be reflected in Clinical Placement Assessment completed at the end of the placement by the GP supervisor.

If a student has experienced considerable absences and has not adequately demonstrated their clinical competency during the placement, the supervisor may be required to fail the student. This will be at the discretion of their supervisor, however we would encourage a discussion between practice and university staff so that we can ensure all options have been explored.