Abstract

ScotGEM – an update on Scotland’s only graduate-entry rural generalist-focused undergraduate programme, including student career intentions

Part of Special Series: WONCA World Rural Health Conference Abstracts 2022go to url

AUTHORS

name here
Jon Dowell
1 ScotGEM Programme Director *

name here
Andrew O'Malley
ScotGEM Deputy Programme Director

name here
Andrew D MacFarlane
3 MPharm MBChB, Final year student ORCID logo

name here
Shalini Gupta
4 Lecturer, Pharmacology & Therapeutics

CORRESPONDENCE

*Prof Jon Dowell

AFFILIATIONS

1, 3, 4 University of Dundee, Dundee, Tayside, UK

PUBLISHED

10 January 2023 Volume 23 Issue 1

HISTORY

RECEIVED: 20 September 2022

ACCEPTED: 20 September 2022

CITATION

Dowell J, O'Malley A, MacFarlane AD, Gupta S.  ScotGEM – an update on Scotland’s only graduate-entry rural generalist-focused undergraduate programme, including student career intentions. Rural and Remote Health 2023; 23: 8151. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH8151

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSgo to url

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

go to urlCited by

no pdf available, use your browser's print function to create one


abstract:

Introduction: In 2016, the Scottish Government commissioned ScotGEM, a generalist focused graduate entry medical programme. The first cohort of 55 students entered in 2018 and will graduate in 2022. Key unique features of ScotGEM include over 50% of clinical education being led by GPs, the creation of a team of dedicated Generalist Clinical Mentors (GCMs) who support this, a geographically dispersed approach to delivery, and a focus on healthcare improvement activities. This presentation will focus on the progress of our inaugural cohort in terms of progression, performance, and career intentions in comparison with the related internationally literature.

Methods: Progression and performance will be reported based upon assessment outcomes. Career intentions were assessed via an electronic questionnaire exploring career preferences, including speciality, location and reasoning distributed to the first three cohorts. We utilised questions derived from key UK and Australian studies to allow direct comparison with the existing literature.

Results: The response rate was 77% (126/163). ScotGEM students’ progression rate was high and performance directly comparable with Dundee students. A positive attitude towards general practice and emergency medicine careers was reported. A high proportion of students intended to remain in Scotland, with half interested in working in rural or remote settings.

Discussion: Overall, results suggest ScotGEM is meeting the aims of its Mission, a finding of key workforce relevance in Scotland and other rural European contexts that supplements the existing international evidence base. The role of GCMs has been instrumental and may be applicable in other areas.

You might also be interested in:

2019 - Trainees’ preferences regarding the choice of place of work after completing medical training in traditional or Problem-Based Learning/Community-Based Education and Service curricula: a study in Ghanaian medical schools

2013 - Strategies for moving towards equity in recruitment of rural and Aboriginal research participants

2007 - Education, training and support needs of Australian trained doctors and international medical graduates in rural Australia: a case of special needs?

This PDF has been produced for your convenience. Always refer to the live site https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/8151 for the Version of Record.