Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

GMC launches new supplementary advice for medical schools

Press Release

14 Feb 2011

The General Medical Council is today publishing new supplementary advice for medical schools on two important issues, clinical placements and assessments.

It is vital that medical students gain clinical experience in a range of settings and receive proper assessments, and we hope this new advice will help medical schools to meet the standards set out in Tomorrow’s Doctors.

Professor Jim McKillop, Chair of the GMC Undergraduate Board

The advice was produced in response to requests from medical schools and will help them to prepare their students for clinical practice in the Foundation Programme.

The advice on Clinical placements for medical students sets out what students can expect from these posts, including student assistantships, where they act as an assistant to a junior doctor during their final year. It also sets out what medical schools should do when organising placements, including securing agreements with the providers setting out the arrangements and outcomes, and evaluating their effectiveness.

The advice on Assessment in undergraduate medical education sets out different methods which a medical school could use to assess medical students and gives advice to medical schools on setting standards and marking examinations.

The new advice supplements Tomorrow’s Doctors, the General Medical Council’s guidance, which sets out the requirements for the knowledge, skills and behaviours that students must learn at medical school.

Professor Jim McKillop, Chair of the GMC Undergraduate Board, said:

“It is vital that medical students gain clinical experience in a range of settings and receive proper assessments, and we hope this new advice will help medical schools to meet the standards set out in Tomorrow’s Doctors.
 
“There are also some very helpful examples provided by medical schools on how the standards and requirements can be applied, which other schools can learn from.”

An example given in the Clinical placements advice highlights how Sheffield medical school helps students to recognise patients with acute medical problems by organising an eight-week acute and critical clinical care attachment. Students work as part of an Accident and Emergency team, to help them to develop an understanding of how to care for patients in the first 48 hours of an acute illness.  
 
The new advice is aimed at medical schools, trainers and others involved in medical education, but employers and medical students will also find it useful.

View the new supplementary advice for medical schools. (links to Supplementary advice to Tomorrow's Doctors (2009) in live page 8889. Can't find on test, under E&T so needs to be re-linked once page has been found.) -CJ

Notes to editors:


Medical schools are expected to be compliant with the standards and outcomes set out in Tomorrow’s Doctors by the academic year 2011/2012. This means that all students graduating in 2012 will be expected to meet the lists of skills and behaviours set out in the three Outcomes sections and Appendix 1, which lists practical procedures. Access the guidance here: www.gmc-uk.org/tomorrowsdoctors

The GMC is also inviting feedback on drafts of further supplementary advice for medical schools, due to be launched later this year. This will focus on:

• Appointing and supporting teachers and trainers; and
• Giving patients and public greater involvement in undergraduate medical education

For further information please contact the Media Relations Office on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444, fax 020 7189 5401, email press@gmc-uk.org, website http://www.gmc-uk.org/.

The General Medical Council licenses doctors to practise medicine in the UK. Our purpose is summed up in the phrase: Regulating doctors, Ensuring Good Medical Practice.

The law gives us four main functions:
• keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors
• fostering good medical practice
• promoting high standards of medical education
• dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt