by Dr Andy McKeown and Dr Ravi Parekh
This year’s Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) took place in Newcastle upon Tyne from 11 -13 July. As part of a wider team of Undergraduate GP Teachers presenting a myriad of innovative work from the department, Andy McKeown and Ravi Parekh delivered a presentation to ASME delegates on the Integrated Clinical Apprenticeship (ICA). This innovative Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship, delivered by the GP team in year 5 of the MBBS, gives 24 students the opportunity to have a meaningful role in the healthcare of patients with multiple conditions in primary care over a full year. The ICA students have the chance to follow these patients into secondary care, providing a unique opportunity to advocate for their patients where appropriate. By spacing and integrating authentic teaching and learning, this innovative project is novel to the UK and is beginning to shape the path of undergraduate medical education, especially with our undergraduate curriculum review in full swing at present!
The most significant findings of the mixed-methods research within the first year of the course were that students were significantly more likely to be more empathetic, more able to manage uncertainty and retained work empowerment at the end of the year compared to their counterparts who did not do the ICA. Students great gained insight into the patient pathway and described acting as a ‘bridge’ between patients and clinicians and between primary and secondary care. They described feeling empowered by having an authentic role in patient care. This lead the research team to question whether students should have more clearly defined paraprofessional roles as they transition from medical student to student doctor.
The presentation was well attended, with the Heads of Teaching of Newcastle and Bristol especially interested in the findings (as they are planning similar courses in the coming years). ASME’s day-two visiting speaker, Professor Susan Van Schalkwyk, even mentioned the ICA’s findings within her own Keynote address to conference. This vote of confidence certainly has spurred Andy and Ravi on to ensure that our next innovative course, a fully integrated course in both primary and secondary care within one single North West London community, is as much of a success! Look out for more information on the Year 6 F-Zero course, coming in 2019!