Year 1 

Students will enter the practice setting with limited clinical exposure and skill.  The programme’s goal during the introductory six-week term prior to the students arriving into GP, is to train them to be safe and professionally appropriate.  This introduction includes basic communication and physical examination skills, which should allow students to begin to participate in clinical activities at the practice. This should include: interviewing and examining patients, initiating and formulating differential diagnoses, evaluation and treatment plans, and in doing so recognising what is appropriate for the clinical setting and the patient’s needs.   

These contributions will be rudimentary during the student’s initial year but become more sophisticated as the students’ experience increases during the second year.  Students will be trained to seek out learning opportunities during their placements.  Clinical Supervisors are encouraged to facilitate and engage students in these active learning processes. 

During the first term (Oct – Dec) the students will learn to take a complete medical history (in structure and content) as well as perform cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal and basic eye and ENT examination skills.  They are introduced to the concept of differential diagnosis and management plans as part of their Problem Based Learning and the supporting taught sessions in clinical medicine. 

During the second term (Jan – April) the students will develop their history taking skills, with increasing knowledge from their studies of clinical medicine.  They will learn a full neurologic and thyroid examination, a musculoskeletal examination, breast exam, and female and male genital exams.  They will be pushed to develop their skills in developing differential diagnoses and dealing with uncertainty. 

During the third term (April – July) the students will continue to revise and improve their examination skills.  They will be expected to begin to think about treatment and management plans as well as differential diagnoses and evaluation. The goal at the end of the first year is for students to have learnt adequate history and clinical examination skills as well as the foundations of developing a differential diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and management plans.  These fundamental skills will be necessary to support them in their secondary care clinical placements in year two. 

Year 2 

In year 2 the students will spend a 9-week placement in General Practice, scheduled between December and July. At this point in their training, students are preparing for their final exams and to sit the National Exam to enable then to qualify as a physician associate. The students would be expected to take a full/focused history, undertake an appropriate physical exam, formulate a differential diagnosis and appropriate management plan. They should be able to articulate this information in a professional and comprehensive manner to their supervising physician. 

Students may see unselected patients who are in booked appointments, through emergency/walk-in clinics or a combination of both. They may also accompany GPs on home visits. 

We would also expect students to review blood results and be encouraged to interpret these and suggest subsequent management based on the results.  Students should be able to discuss and suggest pharmacological management for the patients, but they are unable to prescribe, dispense or administer medications to patients. 

Students may also have DOPS to complete and some specific conditions that they need to have experience in seeing or learning about. We would ask that you help facilitate their needs as required.