News: Working together for tomorrow’s doctors
07 January 2010
The GMC held the first in a series of nationwide roadshows to help medical schools and employers to implement the new standards set out in the GMC’s Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009 guidance for undergraduate medical education.
The meeting was attended by key figures from Cardiff and Swansea Medical schools and senior stakeholders in the health community in Wales who will be working together to ensure the new curriculum is effectively implemented.
Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009, which sets out the standards that medical students have to meet before they graduate, must be implemented in schools by 2011/12 and the GMC is liaising closely with medical schools and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition to the new curriculum.
Recent research has shown that medical students would benefit from more practical ‘on the job’ training and Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009 addresses this with the introduction of student assistantships. These are new placements undertaken shortly before a student enters their first foundation year as a trainee doctor and will help them become more familiar with work in a hospital or community setting and to understand practical tasks such as filling in a prescription form or ordering a blood sample.
Professor Rhys Williams, Dean of Medicine at Swansea University and one of those who attended the event in Cardiff commented:
‘The roadshow last week was a welcome opportunity to focus on Tomorrow’s Doctors and, in particular, for us as academics responsible for medical undergraduate education, the outcomes which the GMC requires us to achieve in collaboration with our students. It was also an opportunity for us in Swansea, Cardiff and Bangor universities to come together with Postgraduate Deanery and NHS employers to discuss our plans for Tomorrow’s Doctors implementation within the rapidly developing medical education scene in Wales.
‘The GMC is right to emphasise the importance of “on the job” training and much of this will be the focus of final year student assistantships. However, our perspective in Swansea is that, to ensure that graduates are “fit for purpose” with regard to their F1 year responsibilities, clinical contact must begin right from the start of the curriculum so that sustained, deliberate practice in being a doctor for tomorrow can take place throughout students’ time in undergraduate education.’
'Exciting time'
Professor Jim McKillop, GMC Council member and Chair of the Undergraduate Board commented:
‘The implementation of Tomorrow’s Doctors is set to change the future of undergraduate medical education and the GMC will be on hand to offer support and advice as the process gets underway.
This is an exciting time for us and we are looking forward to seeing the changes take place. We consulted widely on the guidance and know that this new version of Tomorrow’s Doctors will produce doctors who are even better prepared to develop their skills further in postgraduate training and to deal with all eventualities as a medical practitioner.’
The nationwide roadshows began in Cardiff on 18 December and will be held in locations across the four countries of the UK. They will include presentations, open discussion and break out groups which will consider the implementation of Tomorrow’s Doctors in different medical schools and opportunities for joint working and support or guidance from the GMC. Discussion will also focus on ensuring that patients and employers are involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of basic medical education.
Progress reports on the implementation of Tomorrow’s Doctors will be publicised on the GMC website and anybody wishing to obtain further information on the roll out and quality assurance of the guidance should contact quality@gmc-uk.org.