MD Students - Primary Care Community Base

MD Year 2

Practice Profiles – Northern Clinical School
Practice Profiles – Western Clinical School
Policies and Procedures
Tutorials
Student Forms and Resources
Assessment
Evaluation

 

MD Year 3

Community Based Specialty Selectives (CBSS):
* Final Placement List (Sequence 2 students, commencing 13th May)
* Final Placement List (Sequence 1 students, commencing 2nd September)

 

Year 2

All MD students allocated to the Northern and Western Clinical Schools attend a general practice (Primary Care Community Base) for one day per week during years two and three of the course.

The learning objectives of this placement are:

Year 2 Allocation Process

Practices have been clustered into groups that are located closely geographically, and each group of practices has been allocated to a student group at each clinical school. Some of these practices will take pairs of students (buddies), and some will take single students. In order to allocate individual students or pairs to practices, students are asked to browse through the practice profiles for the practices in their group, and decide who will attend each practice. The practice chosen by each student will become their community base until the end of year three of the course. All the practices participating in this program are high quality clinics with dedicated GPs and practice staff willing to provide an excellent learning experience for medical students. All practices must meet our teaching standards.

How to get the most out of your primary care community base placement

On placement, you will work with your GP supervisor and other practice staff (such as the practice manager, other GP teachers and nursing staff) to plan activities that complement and enhance hospital-based learning in each of your rotations during 2nd and 3rd year.  As each practice site is different, you will need to be pro-active and flexible in identifying learning opportunities as you work through each rotation’s learning objectives.

The relationships you develop with the team of health professionals at your practice will be crucial to your success on this placement. Our experience placing students in general practice has shown that students who are punctual, courteous and keen to learn have the most successful placement experiences. You will need to be pro-active about developing these relationships.  As a first step, it is essential that you contact the practice manager to introduce yourself prior to the first placement day. 

Term Dates and Making Contact

Once you have been allocated to an individual practice you are asked to make contact with the practice to introduce yourself and confirm your first visit. During Foundation term each student will have two visits to their PCCB practice. For students at the Western Clinical School the visits will be in weeks 7 and 8 (commencing 18th March), and for students at the Northern Clinical School the visits will be in weeks 8 and 9 (commencing 25th March). Prior to your first day, enquire if you can visit briefly to introduce yourself to your GP supervisor and email the practice a short biography and photo of yourself, which they may wish to display in the reception area. You will then attend one day per week from week 10 of the course (week commencing 15th April). You do not have to attend your practice during intersession weeks, but if you wish to attend you may do so by arrangement with your supervising GP.
Each group will attend seven tutorials during the year facilitated by an experienced GP tutor. Your first tutorial will be during week 6 (week commencing 11th March); the exact time and location will be confirmed by your clinical school. Announcements will be placed on MD Connect regarding the release of tutorial resources.

Important Dates 2013

Week beginning 11th March: Tutorial 1 (to be timetabled by the clinical school)
Week beginning 18th March: First visit to Community Base (Western Clinical School students)
Week beginning 25th March: First visit to Community Base (Northern Clinical School students)
Week beginning 15th April: Weekly visits to the Community Base commence

Prior to commencing the placement students will be provided with a handbook which will contain detailed curriculum and assessment information.

Practice Profiles – Northern Clinical School [2013 list]

[TOP]

Primary Care Community Base Practices have been clustered into groups. Each student group has been allocated to a group of practices. Each cluster of practices is listed below. Please browse through the practices within the cluster your student group has been allocated to, in order to choose the practice that will become your community base. You will need to discuss your preferences with the other students in your group and ultimately decide between you who will be allocated to each practice.  Your student group must come to a final decision by 4th March 2013, and inform your clinical school administrator:

Ms Amanda Geddes
Email: ageddes@unimelb.edu.au

List updated for 2013. Note that practice groupings are subject to change without notice. Any updates are in bold.

Group K (Tuesday)

Group L (Tuesday)

Group M (Tuesday)

Group N (Wednesday)

Group O (Wednesday)

Group P (Tuesday)

 

 

Practice Profiles – Western Clinical School [2013 list]

[TOP]

Primary Care Community Base Practices have been clustered into groups. Each student group has been allocated to a group of practices. Each cluster of practices is listed below. Please browse through the practices within the cluster your student group has been allocated to, in order to choose the practice that will become your community base. You will need to discuss your preferences with the other students in your group and ultimately decide between you who will be allocated to each practice.  Your student group must come to a final decision by 4th March 2013, and inform your clinical school administrator:

Ms Fiona Watson
Email: fkwatson@unimelb.edu.au

List updated for 2013. Note that practice groupings are subject to change without notice. Any updates are in bold.

Group N (Thursday)

Group P (Thursday)

Group Q (Wednesday)

Group R (Wednesday)

Group S (Wednesday)

Group T (Wednesday)

Assessment

Assessment of the PCCB placement will be integrated into the overall assessment of Year Two and Year Three. With regard to the PCCB component of each assessment task, the following contribution will apply:

  1. Written exam – some of the questions are based in the community setting, so the PCCB experience will enhance knowledge in this area.
  2. Tutor Assessment – the PCCB tutorial mark will contribute 25% of your overall tutor mark. The tutor mark will include assessment of your completion of a practice-based activity, e.g. a medical record audit or a health promotion activity.
  3. OSCE - the PCCB team will contribute to the writing of OSCE stations and GP supervisors will be invited to be examiners in the OSCE.
  4. Mini-CEX – two of the six submitted mini-CEX assessments must be completed in the PCCB setting and marked by your GP supervisor.
  5. Hurdle requirements:
    • A professional behaviour checklist is signed off by your GP supervisor twice - after term 1, and at the end of each year.
    • 100% attendance at PCCB placement days is signed off by your GP supervisor.
    • 75% attendance at PCCB tutorials is signed off by your PCCB tutor.
    • e Portfolio will include logging cases seen in PCCB
    • Procedures check list may be signed off by GP supervisor when a procedure is completed on PCCB placement.

 

Evaluation

You will be provided with an evaluation form towards the end of your placement each year. Collated feedback will be sent to the PCCB clinics for quality assurance purposes.

Year 3

Community Based Specialty Selective

Students in their third year of the MD will undertake a five-week block in general practice. Most students from the Northern and Western Clinical Schools will undertake this block placement at their Primary Care Community Base (PCCB) clinic. Some students may elect to go to a rural general practice for this block, while others may wish to undertake a Community-Based Specialty Selective (CBSS) for a period of 10 days, spending the remainder of their block at their PCCB clinic. The 10 days may be two weeks full time, or two days per week for five weeks, depending on the preference of the placement site.

Community-based specialty selective placements will allow you to:

Further information can be found in the CBSS brochure.

If you would like to participate in the Community-Based Speciality Selectives program, please submit up to three choices using the application form. Please use one form for each choice. Do NOT use MD connect to apply.

Placement sites will have the option of selecting students they believe have the best fit with their service, based on applicants' written paragraphs. Each successful student applicant will be matched to a placement and allocated to one CBSS site during their third year.

Timeline for CBSS Placement Allocation

Sequence 2 students
Interim placement list available to students Wednesday 19 December 2012
FINAL placement list and application form available to students on PCTN website Monday 25 February 2013
Students submit preferences and applications to DGP Monday 11 March 2013
Final placement notification and readings sent to students Friday 19 April 2013
Sequence 1 students
FINAL placement list and application form available to students on PCTN website Monday 10 June 2013
Students submit preferences and applications to DGP Monday 1 July 2013
Final placement notification and readings sent to students Monday 5 Aug 2013