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Features: On the job experience

25 March 2009

Medical graduates need more on the job experience according to GMC-commissioned research.

As part of the GMC’s commitment to evidence-based policy development, one of our recently completed research projects has investigated the differences in how prepared medical students felt before, during and after they first entered the workplace.

The research team studied the experiences and perceptions of graduates at three medical schools. Honorary Principal Research Associate at Newcastle University, Dr Jan Illing, led the research. She told GMCtoday: ‘This was a multi-method, prospective, cross-sectional study. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to provide a broad triangulated view of preparedness. The primary research sample was drawn from new graduates of three medical schools with differing curricula and cohorts’. The universities which took part in the research were Newcastle (systems-based, integrated curriculum), Warwick (graduate entry) and Glasgow (problem-based learning).

Findings of the project indicate that undergraduates’ preparedness to begin the Foundation Programme is improved by increased experiential learning in clinical practice as part of their undergraduate programme.

Dr Illing added: ‘The main finding from our study was that medical graduates needed to have more involved on-the-job experience before starting work, with a recognised role rather than simply observing. This will help them to develop their practical skills, particularly in respect of dealing with acutely ill patients, managing workload, advanced communication and clinical skills, prescribing and working on call.'

The research conclusions will, alongside trends emerging from the GMC’s quality assurance programme, help inform the review of  Tomorrow’s Doctors. To read the final research report, visit the GMC website at: www.gmc-uk.org/about/research/research_commissioned.asp.