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- Page navigation anchor for Not such friendly banterNot such friendly banterWhilst I agree with some of the concern about banter affecting medical students' career choices I would like to add the observation that it is not just hospital specialists within medical schools who may be putting students off careers in general practice and psychiatry.My own findings from multiple final year medical student interviews over several years are that the factors putting students off certain specialties are multi-factorial and can also be as a result of medical students themselves as well as general practitioners who are experiencing heavy workloads and stress.It is not enough to reduce "banter" but we need a cultural shift in respect for colleagues and peers with appropriate role modelling by enthusiastic teachers, educators and specialists from primary and secondary care. Whilst adverse banter can be detrimental, medical students are highly intelligent and discerning individuals and some medical students have actually commented that negative comments about any speciality from an individual may make them think less of the person making disparaging comments and not the specialty.Also there appears to a perception amongst students of a hierarchy of medical careers (held by students independent of educators input) from an early time at medical school and the way to counter this is also to ensure a good placement experience and respect from all influent...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.
- Page navigation anchor for Do medical schools understand that effective primary care is the corner stone of our NHS?Do medical schools understand that effective primary care is the corner stone of our NHS?Ajaz and Baker illustrate discriminatory bias against general practice within UK medical schools.1,2 This highlights a variety of political, teaching and strategic issues in the way our medical schools are structured and led which may be magnified if recruitment increases by 25% as recent announcements suggest.The public purse pays to train doctors to provide an effective and comprehensive NHS. Medical school Deans receive substantial remuneration and run the most expensive and prestigious University faculties. They are implicitly tasked with training people to provide a service that deals with a million people every 36 hours and that cares for vulnerable populations. However, many Deans appear to prioritise their performance in the Research Excellence Framework and the production of clinical academics over training doctors who can survive the rigours of modern medicine and so sustain their personal commitment to long-term, safe, patient-centred practice. Producing socially aware clinicians who will remain in and support the NHS, and the patients it cares for, should be the key priority for medical school educators. Medical school leaders need to reflect and exemplify this commitment. Surely ‘dissing’ a career in general practice is a reflection systemic problems within the medical hierarchy.References1. Ajaz A, David R, Brown D, et al...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.
- Page navigation anchor for Confronting the bashing: Fundamental questions remainConfronting the bashing: Fundamental questions remainWe would like to wholeheartedly echo the call by Baker et al1 in their editorial to end the systematic denigration of both General Practice and Psychiatry and at the same time to highlight the paucity of evidence and research in this area that we and others are attempting to re-address. Given that the authors state clearly that “if we don’t have enough GPs or psychiatrists, the NHS will certainly fail,” it is conspicuous that the evidence quoted for the denigration discussed is so limited, as is our understanding of the phenomenon.No one appears to doubt the existence of denigration, now or historically both in the UK and internationally,2 and even medical students themselves and have been compelled to put pen to paper and express their own personal feelings and opinions.3,4 But fundamental questions remain unanswered and seemingly unexplored: Where does this denigration occur – at medical school or in hospital trusts or even in general practice itself? Who is responsible for the denigration – consultants or junior doctors or our health care professional colleagues? Why does it occur – is it harmless banter to relieve the stress of the work or is it deeply ingrained prejudice based on a lack of awareness of the GP profession? At what stage does it occur – as medical students or as foundational doctors or at the speciality or GP trainee level? And most cruciall...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.