Student and educator experiences of a student-led clinic in general practice

Katie Leslie; Kevin McConville

doi:10.1080/14739879.2025.2494262

Student and educator experiences of a student-led clinic in general practice

Katie Leslie (Lead / Corresponding author)
, Kevin McConville

Undergraduate Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

7 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Giving students more responsibility for patients during medical school may help prepare them for their transition to clinical practice. Student-led clinics (SLCs) could facilitate this. Within SLCs, students take the lead role in delivering patient care, with support and supervision from clinicians. A general practice SLC was established in Dundee, Scotland, with four final-year medical students and one general practitioner (GP) involved in each clinic. Our qualitative case study aimed to explore students’ and educators’ (GPs’) experiences and perceptions of this SLC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 students and three educators, and 18 hrs of observation were conducted over six clinics. Interview transcripts and fieldnotes were integrated and thematically analysed, revealing five main themes. Overall, students’ and educators’ experiences and perceptions were positive. Students thrived in their lead role in patient care, gaining a sense of empowerment and developing confidence in their abilities. Both students and educators felt comfortable with students having this level of responsibility due to students’ seniority and the supervision provided by educators. Teaching in the SLC involved individual discussions and group debriefs. Students developed a sense of belonging as a result of their positive relationships with peers and educators and the environment of the Student Hub. Challenges arose when the clinic ran behind schedule due to unexpectedly complex patients or lengthy individual discussions. Our findings suggest that giving students responsibility for real patients is beneficial and feasible when adequate support is provided and that it is possible for one GP to supervise multiple students successfully.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	142-149
Number of pages	8
Journal	Education for Primary Care
Volume	36
Issue number	4
Early online date	9 May 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14739879.2025.2494262
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 9 May 2025

Keywords

clinical placements
educational case study
Primary care placements
responsibility in medical education
Student-led clinics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Family Practice

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10.1080/14739879.2025.2494262Licence: CC BY

Final Published VersionFinal published version, 799 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Giving students more responsibility for patients during medical school may help prepare them for their transition to clinical practice. Student-led clinics (SLCs) could facilitate this. Within SLCs, students take the lead role in delivering patient care, with support and supervision from clinicians. A general practice SLC was established in Dundee, Scotland, with four final-year medical students and one general practitioner (GP) involved in each clinic. Our qualitative case study aimed to explore students{\textquoteright} and educators{\textquoteright} (GPs{\textquoteright}) experiences and perceptions of this SLC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 students and three educators, and 18 hrs of observation were conducted over six clinics. Interview transcripts and fieldnotes were integrated and thematically analysed, revealing five main themes. Overall, students{\textquoteright} and educators{\textquoteright} experiences and perceptions were positive. Students thrived in their lead role in patient care, gaining a sense of empowerment and developing confidence in their abilities. Both students and educators felt comfortable with students having this level of responsibility due to students{\textquoteright} seniority and the supervision provided by educators. Teaching in the SLC involved individual discussions and group debriefs. Students developed a sense of belonging as a result of their positive relationships with peers and educators and the environment of the Student Hub. Challenges arose when the clinic ran behind schedule due to unexpectedly complex patients or lengthy individual discussions. Our findings suggest that giving students responsibility for real patients is beneficial and feasible when adequate support is provided and that it is possible for one GP to supervise multiple students successfully.",

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Student and educator experiences of a student-led clinic in general practice

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