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The United Medical and Dental School of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals' MSc in general practice: graduates' perspectives
Author(s) -
Calvert Graham,
Britten Nicky
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2923.1999.00286.x
Subject(s) - isolation (microbiology) , medical education , social connectedness , burnout , psychology , professional development , medicine , family medicine , nursing , social psychology , clinical psychology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Aim Higher degrees have been proposed as one means whereby general practitioners can continue their professional development and avoid a slow decline into professional isolation and burnout. The United Medical and Dental School of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals' MSc in general practice [Note 1. As from 1 August 1998, this course was renamed ...] has been available to experienced general practitioners for over a decade. This study reports some of the outcomes of participation for the 76 graduates of the first nine cohorts. Method As part of an ongoing programme of evaluation the graduates were sent a questionnaire which, in addition to seeking information about attainment of intended outcomes, gave respondents the opportunity to write freely about the contribution made by the course to their own professional and personal development. Seventy‐one graduates completed the questionnaire, a response rate of 93%. Results and conclusions An increased confidence that arises not only from a broadened knowledge base and increased skills but also from a sense of having been enabled to explore more deeply into their discipline, is the most frequently and highly valued outcome of participation. Graduates appreciated having additional protected time and demonstrated an ability to use it productively. A further significant outcome was the ability of the course to confront those habitual assumptions of doctors which inform their practice in a manner that was both challenging and supportive. Tendencies to professional isolation and burnout appear to have been reversed with a greater sense of connectedness to their discipline. Doctors seeking to diversify their general practice careers beyond the task of providing medical services have found the MSc an important route for change.