Students

We have taught medical students since the Keele Medical School opened in 2001. Over the years we have been slowly increasing the number of students we have at the Practice.  We regularly have medical and nursing students and sometimes have physicians assistants, pharmacists and other clinicians training with us.

We have medical students at different times of the year from all five years of the course. They may be working with any part of the practice from doctors and nurses to other attached staff.

In the early years of their training they will sit in with the doctor to watch and maybe take part in the consultation. You should be told when you book your appointment if a student is going to be present. If you do not want them there the doctor can be told before you arrive and we ask them to wait outside. Don’t feel embarrassed to say this.

In the final years of training they will have their own booked surgeries. There will always be a GP supervising them, and the supervising GP will always come and see you with the student to check over what they have found and come up with a plan to help you.

Sometimes students will see patients with specific health problems, such as diabetes, either at the Surgery or occasionally at their home to talk about what it is like to have a particular problem. It is this insight into what it is like to have a condition or be a carer that is vital to their training.

Other students may spend several weeks attached to the practice carrying out audit or research projects on particular clinical problems, for example looking at adverse drug reactions in older patients.

We have always had excellent feedback from students about how much they enjoy coming to the Practice, how much they learn from seeing patients and how friendly and helpful patients are.