Coming face to face with over one thousand GPs and presenting your research at the biggest GP conference in the UK is one way to find out more about GP as a career path. The GP Education Group (GPEG) supported five clinical students to attend the Royal College of General Practitioners Annual Conference in October 2017.
Erin Weatherstone, Year 5, said: “Attending the conference was a brilliant experience. I was able to present my poster of the research that I completed with the Primary Care Unit during my SSC last year and getting the chance to interview Helen Stokes-Lampard and other GPs was a particular highlight. Everyone was very happy to speak and answer my questions about what a career in general practice is like. General Practice was definitely an option I was considering. After the conference I feel more inspired about pursuing this career path in the future”.
“One central message of the conference seemed to be that there are big changes in store for the NHS, with evolving role of GPs as clinicians, co-ordinators and leaders being at the centre of the NHS’ future. It was sobering to hear about the pressures and challenges facing primary care, but re-assuring to hear the positivity and optimism of the majority of the people present”, added Stephen Woodmansey, in Year 5.