GP careers: changing student perspectives

The role of the GP is changing.In light of this, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) launched a major consultation exercise in 2012 entitled General Practice 2022: a call to action, with the aim of assessing the efficacy of general practice and to propose a vision for its future. 1 In parallel with this development, the Department of Health has recommended that at least half of all medical graduates enter general practice after Foundation training.2 However, recent research has shown that general practice is the first choice specialty for only 28% of medical graduates compared with 71% selecting hospital specialties as their preferred career route.3 If current medical students are not enthused about general practice at an early stage in their career, it seems that the College's 2022 vision for the future of general practice may be difficult, if not impossible, to realise.Here we suggest ways in which enthusiasm for general practice among medical students can be fostered by considering the role of both educational interventions and wider studentled endeavours such as GP societies.Research shows that enthusiasm for, and commitment to general practice is an important determinant for pursuing this career path after the Foundation years.4 Despite a significant proportion of teaching in medical schools now being carried out in the community, there remains a widespread view among students that general practice is lower in both stimulation and prestige when compared to hospital specialties.5 To inspire tomorrow's doctors to seriously consider a career in primary care, medical schools must ensure that curricula include sufficient quantity and quality of GP attachments for students to appreciate the true scope of general practice and the central role of primary care within the modern NHS.Perhaps it is also time to think beyond curriculum-based interventions, and for medical schools to actively support emerging student-led initiatives such as GP societies and the RCGP national student forum to safeguard the specialty's future.