General practice in the undergraduate curriculum: 20 interviews with Southampton final-year students.
The Primary Medical Care Group at the University of Southampton contributes to the medical curriculum in the first, third and final years. A visiting lecturer from Sweden took the opportunity to interview a sample of 20 final-year students using a qualitative approach. Questioning centered on the impact of the primary care course both in relationship to medicine as a whole and to general practice. It was found that primary medical care was often not seen as a central or integral part of the curriculum but many students acknowledged its important contribution to seeing the patient as a whole and in integrating the various other parts of the curriculum, with significant opportunity for role modelling and informing career choice. A hidden curriculum emerged of attitudes which provided a conflict for some students. Improvements should include clearer dovetailing of primary medical care with other curricular components, limitation of aims with more specific and rigorous assessment and a wide strategy of staff development not confined to those directly involved in general practice attachments.
Mattsson
B
B
Primary Medical Care Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.
Freeman
G K
GK
Coles
C R
CR
Schmedlin
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical