Within Upper Nithsdale Group Practice we support FY2 Doctors and GP Speciality Trainees (GPSTs).
Foundation Years
Following graduation from medical school, trainees can then complete postgraduate training as part of a two year Foundation Programme. These trainees are a qualified Doctor and during their FY1 training will gain 12 months clinical experience as a Doctor in a hospital setting where they undertake 3 different placements, for example in general medicine, surgery or mental health. FY2 consists of a further 3 placements – one of which is with a GP surgery, where they gain experience of primary care, under the close supervision of an experienced GP.
Within Upper Nithsdale Group Practice FY2 Doctors work under the close supervision of one of the GPs. The appointment time tends to be longer to allow them time to ask for advice, seek clarifications or indeed check on the appropriate procedure to conduct a task in the community setting.
You may be asked for your permission for your consultation to be video-taped as part of their training and final exam. These recordings are treated with strict confidentiality and only used for assessment purposes. We would hope that you would be able to cooperate with them but if you do not wish to be video-taped your request will be respected and it will not change your treatment in any way.
Dr Nitin Desai supervises the FY2 trainees.
General Practice Speciality Training
On completion of Foundation Years, Doctors can make a choice of which speciality they would like to pursue as a career. Should they choose General Practice, they apply via NES to become a GP Speciality Trainee (GPST) sometimes also referred to as a GP Registrar. This is an intensive three year training programme with various placements within hospital and General Practice.
Within Upper Nithsdale Group Practice GPSTs will be working under the supervision and guidance of all the qualified GPs who assist them if required with any aspect of clinical care. The GPSTs also have an Educational Supervisor (ES), who has additional qualifications in education, and is responsible for overseeing their training, providing support and completing frequent assessments of their progress.
In order to progress through the training programme GPSTs have to demonstrate multiple competencies in many aspects of being a Doctor and these are assessed on a regular basis by their ES. GPSTs might have surgeries where the ES ‘sits-in’ and observes the consultations or perhaps you might be asked whether the consultation could be recorded on video. These recordings are treated with strict confidentiality and only used for assessment purposes. We would hope that you would be able to cooperate with them but if you do not wish to be video-taped your request will be respected and it will not change your treatment in any way.
The GPST may request that patients complete a Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) which provides patient feedback on the GPSTs empathy and relationship-building skills during consultations.
Dr Nitin Desai and Dr Farah Gilani are the Educational Supervisors for GPSTs.
