Work experience in a local GP clinic
Written by Matthew Lau 4 Aug 2020
Why?
Throughout my medical application process, I’ve been fortunate enough to have multiple work experiences in some major hospitals. I got to watch surgery and follow doctors on their ward rounds but none were as impactful and helpful as my experience in my local GP clinic.
Being able to witness the localised impact of the GP and personally observe how she interacted with her patients taught me more about communication, respect and other transferable skills than any previous experience.
I would strongly recommend everyone try and get a placement at a local clinic if possible.
How?
Go on google and try to look up any clinics near you. Make a list of the ones in walking distance or accessible and save their address.
In the meantime, create a 1-page document that’s similar to a CV outlining who you are, why you want to have a placement, any achievements or past experience which is relevant and your contact details.
You could email it in, however, I recommend going in person instead and handing a physical copy to the receptionist. This way, they’ll be more inclined to take a look instead of just moving an email to the junk folder. With some luck, you’ll get an email back soon with more information.
When you’re at the clinic
Remember to be respectful to the patients but also engaged.
Ask the GP any questions you might have (when the patient isn’t there) about the patient and any questions regarding medicine as well.
Instead of using your phone which might be perceived as disrespectful by the patient, use a small notepad to write down anything you find relevant and could reflect on later. You don’t want to forget everything you’ve seen and learnt within a week!
Remember, although you’re there to learn, try to enjoy it as well.
With any luck, you’ll be able to see some interesting cases, how a real doctor interacts with patients and how to deal with problems you might run into when treating a patient.
After the work experience
Reflection is one of the key skills you’ll need in a medical career. Remember to reflect on your experiences after every day, writing down a few notes about some cases you saw.
One of the best templates to use is the Gibbs reflective cycle. This method of reflecting is used constantly in higher education and is very effective in helping develop reflective skills.
The template is as follows:
Activity
Description (What Happened?)
Feelings (What were you feeling / thinking)
Evaluation (What was good / bad about it)
Analysis (What can you make of the situation)
Conclusion (What else could you have done)
Learning Plan (In the future, what would you do?)
★ Write about an experience per day either digitally or physically and store it safely. Refer back to it when writing your personal statement or interview and make sure to talk about how you’ve used this template to reflect on your experiences.