Celebrating achievement aims to boost morale and inspire others. At a time when general practice is under intense pressure, we on the London GP Trainee Committee thought it was important to do just that and we organised the first London Trainee Excellence awards, based on a model initiated by the Severn Deanery.
In his letter in the October edition of this journal,1 Dr Spitzer questions whether we can define excellence in general practice, should we celebrate it and if patients would be better off if trainees focused on ‘core general practice’ and covering the curriculum rather than activities outside the traditional model of the doctor alleviating the suffering of their individual patients.
We too struggled with defining excellence. We did not include clinical proficiency in our criteria as we felt this is reflected in attainment of MRCGP and we were seeking to focus on the broader meaning of general practice as it has become, with a population as well as individual focus. Research (as reflected in this journal), teaching, and leadership are all important aspects of professional development, being a GP, and core general practice. Indeed this is reflected in the RCGP curriculum and competencies.
The categories we chose; Research, Learning and Development, Leadership, Medical Work outside the vocational training scheme, and Personal Achievement outside Medicine, allowed trainers and trainees to nominate their colleagues for a range of awards and to showcase the many opportunities available to trainee GPs. The award winners are all hardworking, dedicated doctors, who committed much of their personal time to their projects and I am sure they would be dismayed if they were seen to be neglecting their clinical duties.
Taking part in activities outside direct patient care should not negatively impact on clinical ability. Quite the opposite, it can help with personal and professional development, building the skills to be the adaptable, innovative workforce required to maintain one of the most effective primary care systems in the world.
Celebrating outstanding achievements inspires others and provides positive feedback, improving resilience in these challenging times.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2014
REFERENCE
- 1.↵