The General Medical Council has defended the record of trainee doctors, in response to a study that questioned the competence of new graduates.
Yesterday OnMedica reported that some 200 plus senior doctors, questioned in a study published on Postgraduate Medical Journal, had dubbed the new doctors as ill-prepared for the real world.
In a critical assessment of a wide range of core skills and competencies the senior doctors scored the juniors below three on 48 of the 70 items assessed against the GMC criteria and above the midway point for only six of the 20 clinical and practical skills.
Carrying out basic respiratory function tests, prescribing, and more advanced communication skills were some of the areas where juniors performed below par, although they scored well on basic communication skills and on how to ask for help.
The findings were based on 228 senior doctors' assessment at two major teaching hospitals in the East Midlands of England.
But speaking to OnMedica, the GMC has denied that new graduates are ill-prepared.
A GMC spokesperson said: “It is important not to jump to conclusions from this study. Much has changed in the two years that have elapsed since the original research questionnaires were conducted. In particular, following extensive consultation and in-depth research, the GMC re-launched Tomorrow’s Doctors which sets the standards for undergraduate medical education in the UK.
“Tomorrow’s Doctors will require that students have more opportunity to apply their medical knowledge and skills in hospitals and surgeries before they graduate. 'Student assistantships’ will be rolled out to help prepare medical students for the Foundation programme. Student assistantships are work placements where students will undertake most of the duties of an F1 doctor before they start their first job. This will help them get to grips with practical tasks such as ordering blood samples and filling in prescription forms.
“During the development of Tomorrow’s Doctors a lot of work was undertaken to map F1 outcomes to the undergraduate competencies, including clinical and procedural skills. The GMC also agreed a revised Foundation programme curriculum and specific outcomes for F1 doctors which will give medical schools a clear understanding of what they should be preparing medical students for in the workplace.
“It is important to remember that the point of the first year of the Foundation programme is for the new doctor to build on, under supervision, the knowledge and skills they learnt as a medical student, demonstrating performance in the workplace. It is inevitable that it will take some time for certain skills, such as advanced communication, to develop, that is why a whole year is allowed for the process. GMC guidance The New Doctor sets out what F1s are expected to be competent at demonstrating in the workplace before being eligible to apply for full registration.”
