TY - JOUR T1 - Pitfalls and pleasures of pick-and-mix careers: portfolio working and whole-person medicine in general practice JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 622 LP - 623 DO - 10.3399/bjgp19X707021 VL - 69 IS - 689 AU - Martina Kelly AU - Anita Berlin AU - Ruth Abrams AU - Sophie Park Y1 - 2019/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/69/689/622.abstract N2 - Pick-and-mix or ‘portfolio’ careers are increasingly popular in general practice and are a dominant strand of recruitment initiatives in the UK and Canada. Portfolio careers are frequently framed as GPs adopting roles outside of and in addition to general practice, for example, working in clinics or other organisations, offering subspecialist care. ‘Portfolio GPs’ are generally employed on a short-term or sessional contract basis, in contrast to ‘partnership’ or salaried employment models. Advertising ‘variety’ for new GPs appears sensible given worldwide workforce shortages and the promise of work–life balance from adaptable work hours. When asked about career intentions, medical students expressing interest in family medicine frequently add the caveat ‘GP with a special interest’. Graduates are attracted to developing expertise in subspecialties and working in different contexts. Yet, in supporting career flexibility, we may in fact diminish the breadth of thinking as the cornerstone of general practice expertise and increase the vulnerability of GP careers. In this article, the authors reflect on the untoward clinical and educational consequences of ‘pick-and-mix general practice’ as a potentially counter-productive message capable of eroding the complex nature of general practice work.Traditionally general practice is whole-person medicine.1 Regardless of the problem, a family doctor works with the patient to consider if and how to attend to any problem presented, its inherent significance, and the potential impact for the patient. In contrast, most other health care is organised around disease-based compartments of knowledge, reflected in specialty and hospital infrastructure, referral … ER -