Medical Student Teaching

We are involved in the teaching of third year and final year medical students from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Third years attend the practice every Wednesday morning for a year whereas final year students are attached to the practice for a block of three weeks in the autumn (one student at a time).

Students may sit in with the GP during surgery. You will be told when the GP has a student sitting in with them and of course you have the right to ask to see the doctor without the student present. Simply ask the receptionist before your appointment. Your care will not be affected.

Students are learning how to be doctors and of course they learn best by watching other doctors work and by practising themselves. For this reason it is very helpful when patients are able to give the students an opportunity to learn by allowing them to be present during their consultation.

Final year students, who are only a few months from qualifying as a doctor, do more than sitting in watching surgeries. You may see them helping in reception, or out and about with the midwife or district nurse. They even have their own surgeries so that they can practise taking a history from a patient and examining them. They will then discuss your case with the GP (usually in front of you) and you might find this quite interesting yourself.

Videoing Surgeries

Final year students occasionally have videoed surgeries. This is so that they can watch themselves in action and so that the GP teaching them can watch the video with the student and gives them feedback on their consultation skills. This is an invaluable way for students to learn (even if it feels a bit painful at the time).

Of course we never video you without you knowing about it and consenting to it. Before and after the video you will fill in a consent form. The video is only watched by the student and the GP and is erased after it has been watched.