Would you be happy with an appointment with a medical student not Doctor ?

[inkyspells]

I have been having issues with breathing and mucus a lot of it
Waking up coughing and gasping for air
Anyway completed a e consult forum
They’ve gave me a appointment with a medical student not a GP
I know everyone has to learn etc but would you be happy with this ?

I had an FY2 recently - the appointment lasted an hour and he checked the symptoms with the GP 3 times. It felt very thorough and given the symptoms, I was very glad he had that amount of time to spend with me. If it hadn't been so thorough and he hadn't checked with the duty GP I wouldn't have been happy - generally I don't think GPs should be replaced with PA, nurse practitioners or students or newly qualified doctors.

Yes there always supervised I've got no problem with it they have to learn somehow? Or would you rather a doctor that's read a book but never actually done it?

I’ve had appointments with nurse practitioners, trainee GPs and MSK clinicians. Have had no issues with any of them.

I think with something like a bad chest you will be fine and get more attention and time. I was very happy when I saw a paramedic for my bad chest. In addition to all the observations, she also took a sputum sample. The doctor phone up 5 days later with the results of the sputum sample and said I needed to be on a different antibiotic.
You are lucky to get an appointment this week.

Why is everyone talking about their experience with qualified staff (trainee GPs are qualified doctors)?

The OP has been told she is seeing a medical student who, by definition, is not qualified.

i had a paramedic, took half an hour!

The student will take a careful history, examine you as per text book, then the GP will come in and make them present the case. The student will be thorough.

DS had an appointment with a medical student last Christmas, apparently lots of the GP’s had booked Christmas off so they were using students from the local university as cover. The girl that DS got explained at the start that she was in her final year, she was fully trained and qualified and her final year consisted of placements before she graduates. She wasn’t supervised by another doctor but DS got the same prescription that the GP would have given him.

I would expect a medical student to be supervised either during the appointment or at the end while you’re still present, depending on their year of training.

If it is a GP trainee then supervision at the end of surgery is entirely appropriate.

I wouldn’t want to see a medical student who is not being supervised “in real time”.

This. I've done it before. They are allocated longer slots and usually have to run everything past the GP as well. They are slower but extremely thorough.

Yes, absolutely. It was a trainee that finally listened to me and got me referred for MRI, where I was subsequently diagnosed with MS.

Without him, I'd likely still be being told it's anxiety.

Is it someone training to be a GP? If so they are trained doctors but have to do a year as a trainee GP before they can go into practice? I have had appointments with them and been very happy. I have also had an appointed with a practitioner nurse when I had a suspected chest infection. She was very through and was able to prescribe antibiotics.
If you are talking about a medical student still at University they will be supervised and I assume towards the end of their course rather than first years so I would accept the appointment

In the GP practice I work in, a medical student sees a patient for 30 mins then the supervising GP comes in for 15 during which the student presents the information, GP examines and decides the plan.
Trainee/resident doctor would sometimes have that level of supervision or sometimes less depending on level and confidence. If less, they either pop out to discuss every patient (2-4 years from fully qualified GP), discuss every patient after the session with ability to ask for urgent things (2-3 years from qualified) or discuss only patients they're concerned about (final year trainee 12 months or less from fully qualified GP).
When you rang, did the receptionist clarify what level of training your 'student' is at?
Arguably you get better care if seeing a lower level student or trainee as the supervising GP is very careful and doesn't rush it, with the responsibility on their shoulders. Most GPs don't have time to debrief themselves after a session so any decisions are done and dusted, unlike the trainee who gets a 20 mins debrief and thus chance to remedy forgotten things.

Glad you got the help you needed in the end. Trainees often approach things with fresh eyes and recent learning, as well as an enthusiasm to make diagnoses, so it definitely can be helpful to patients to see one.

No no no. Not for a medical students who don't have their degrees yet. They should have their patients reviewed straight away before you leave the building.

Different for the GP trainees who have 2-5 years experience when they see you.

I’ve had much better care from the trainee GP’s than the senior practice partners. Same in the hospital when they are on their training for a speciality vs the consultants.

I had a similar experience….after being told my symptoms were just part of ‘being a woman’ many times by a doctor at my surgery, I had an appointment with a student who listened to everything I had been going through, asked lots of questions then went away to double check her opinion and I was referred to the hospital that day, seen the following week and diagnosed with cervical cancer shortly afterwards. I owe that student everything!

I’ve had this before. Poor student was terrified especially as it was gynae issues and I’m a midwife so was taking no fobbing off. He kept having to leave the room and ask the GP in the next room for advice which took ages as the GP was seeing a different patient and he had to wait for that consultation to finish. I seem to remember that happened twice. But I was happy with the outcome, though to be honest wasn’t leaving until I was!

My practice does this all the time. The actual GP then comes in and asks what info they’ve taken, asks you, asks their plan. Either agrees or makes suggestions. It takes longer but it’s okay. It’s help that the GP who supervises them is just brilliant.

I’m a GP. As some have pointed out, there’s a world of difference between a GP trainee, who is an actual
qualified doctor working under light supervision, and a medical student. There is no way a med student should be seeing patients independently, bar doing the initial history and examination and presenting it to the GP, which is fine and an appropriate way to train. But the GP should absolutely see you in the flesh before you leave the surgery, OP, and if they don’t then the practice is on very shaky ground legally and ethically.

I'd be much happier to be seen by a trainee med student than a "Physician's Associate" masquerading as a doctor, OP.

I once had a GP appointment with a medical student. It was the most thorough and attentive appointment I’ve ever had. The GP came in at the end and checked his work.

I'm very, very nervous about it since a surgical registrar almost killed my child (said he didn't need surgery when he actually needed emergency surgery, the delay caused septic shock and a cardiac arrest. I also later found out in the serious incident report that he ignored several nurses concerns too) and would be asking a lot of questions.

My son was transferred to a different hospital as the local hospital doesn't have a PICU and they were very understanding as they knew about the situation and slowly worked on building trust with doctors who are training because they do have to learn but it was the most frightening, traumatic experience of my life and I will always be on edge about it due to the experience with my son.

Absolutely not. I’m more than happy to see a GP reg. or see a med student under direct supervision or have consults videoed for their training.

A med student doing independent consultations with nobody going over until the end of the day no way. I can’t imagine my GP practice would even consider offering that.

Why?

A med student is not qualified.

A Physician's Associate might have years of experience.