18 OPINION
18 OPINION
6 OCTOBER 2023 ausdoc . com . au
Insight
Are future GPs being heard ?
Sarah Bresnehan National chair of the General Practice Students Network .
We know how to lure medical graduates to the specialty .
IT is pleasing to see an increase in the number of students interested in rural medicine in the latest Medical Schools Outcomes Database National Data Report .
It shows that the efforts of medical schools and interest groups to expose medical students to rural practice is paying off in some ways . However , other findings from the survey are frustrating to me and other medical students looking to enter general practice in a few years ’ time .
Medical students are aware of the current uncertainty within general practice and are not immune to the media coverage that general practice has been attracting .
While it is disappointing , it is not surprising that there has been a small drop in final-year medical
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students preferencing general practice as their specialty of choice .
But how do you start reversing this declining trend ?
How do you increase the profile and attractiveness of general practice to the future medical workforce ?
The answer is to listen to future GPs , to the students coming up through the pipeline . We know and see the barriers and have effective solutions , so start investing in the most valuable resource within general practice .
The General Practice Students Network ( GPSN ) is a national network of 4000-plus aspiring students who want to become GPs , and we continue to tell policymakers the areas that require investment . But are our voices being heard ?
Our members continually tell us the importance of quality early exposure to general practice at the beginning of their journey , and this work needs to be done before hospital training .
They want to connect with general practice , understand it and be supported in professional peer exchange with existing GPs early on in their medical school experience .
The problem is the duration of placements , opportunities — whether metro or rural — and the point at which students are exposed to general practice are highly varied .
Some schools still adopt the postgraduate model of
Quality early exposure is important .
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Therapeutic Guidelines regularly reviews content , responding to significant changes in evidence and practice .
Don ’ t have a subscription ? Visit tg . org . au to subscribe and support the continued development of your independent guidelines . the first two years being ‘ preclinical ’ ( theory ) and the final two years being ‘ clinical ’ placements .
This means students do not start placements until their third year , with some not offered a GP placement until their final year .
Giving medical students the opportunity to have placements in more than one practice is also critical , as is the quality of placements .
Professor Richard Murray , the dean of medicine and dentistry at James Cook University , Queensland , recently spoke about this issue , pointing out that general practices have a tougher time compared with teaching hospitals .
GPSN agrees and believes medical schools need to be more hands-on and connected with their GP partners when it comes to the general practice placement experience .
While the GP specialty is at a crossroads , we want to challenge medical students ’ preconceptions about general practice .
But the perspectives of medical students must be listened to ; otherwise , policymakers will continue to invest in initiatives that miss the mark .
Is it not time to try a new approach to addressing Australia ’ s GP shortage ?