GP Training

Our practice has been involved in education and training for both undergraduates and postgraduates for well over 25 years now and there is enthusiastic commitment from the whole of the practice team and attached staff to ensure that this role continues.

The GP training programme is for doctors who have completed at least 7 years of training, including their Foundation Years (see below). Their GP training is structured so that the practice will be responsible for the supervision and support of GP trainees over at least 3 years of GP Specialty Training. Specialty trainees will normally spend 6 months of their GPST1 year in the practice and the whole of their GPST3 year. Some GPSTs may opt to work less than full time so might be in the practice for longer than 3 years.

Previous trainees have had a strong performance in the MRCGP exam. We endeavour to ensure that all the support and encouragement to complete the assessments is given whilst trying to ensure that training is not dominated by the exam at the expense of learning the craft of General Practice.

Drs Angie Martin, Jonathan Beveridge and Virginia Mills are our designated and qualified GP Trainers. They are well supported by other members of the practice team who offer tutorials in areas of special interest, and are also available to support with supervision, consultation skills, problem solving and case analysis.

GP trainees are provided with their own dedicated consulting room which is fully equipped with medical and computing equipment. We have an extensive library with all recommended texts, and there is access to the NHS e-library. They are also encouraged to become involved in regular practice business meetings.

Patient consultations with GP Trainees are often recorded for training and evaluation purposes. This is always undertaken with written consent from the patient both before and after the consultation.

The practice is also involved with teaching of doctors in Foundation Year 2. These are qualified doctors who have spent one year in hospital practice and are fully registered with the General Medical Council. They are attached to the practice for either a 4 or 12 month period and supervised by either Drs Alan Smith or Ewan McChesney. FY2 doctors who are on a 12 month placement will usually spend alternate weeks within a hospital setting and on rotation over multiple specialties. Generally our foundation doctors are considering a career in General Practice at the end of their FY2 year.

We offer our FY2 doctors a varied weekly timetable with time given over to standard general practice consultations, routine chronic disease management and continuing care commitments. In addition, the FY2 doctors will be involved in both practice audit and in the development of practice protocols, where appropriate.

We regularly accept 4th and 5th year medical students from Dundee University who are attached to the practice for one month blocks. They are given the opportunity to observe how members of the team work, and also to experience general practice consultation at first hand. Drs Kris Wipat and Jayne Bodles are responsible for the supervision of these students, although other GPs will spend time with them during their placement with us. We offer a comprehensive timetable for our medical students but also ensure that they have the opportunity to direct their own learning as well as facilitating some one to one patient contact.

Additionally, we regularly have 1st & and 2nd year students in the practice for half a day at a time. This is to offer taster sessions which may then encourage them to consider General Practice as a career option further into their medical training.