Implementing the Safe and Effective Clinical Outcomes (SECO) simulation to prepare physician associate students for practice.

The number of physician associates (PAs) training in the United Kingdom is rising dramatically, yet the approaches to teaching this new professional group are yet to be examined. We set out to determine if and how the 'Safe and Effective Clinical Outcomes' (SECO) simulation training could help this new group of students to develop skills around conducting a consultation in primary care.Six clinics were designed and implemented over three academic years (2016-2018) in a clinical skills simulation centre in a university hospital.

Serving the needs of our future population.

Less than 30% of doctors, across The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and within the UK are currently working in generalist careers. Our population is ageing and increasingly, multi-morbidity is becoming the norm rather than the exception. With an increasing proportion of graduates opting for specialist careers, how can we best equip them to deal with the challenges they are likely to face without an exponential rise in the cost of care or increasing risk to patients? We propose an approach by which community placements are present from the early years of medical training and to seek opportunities for interprofessional learning and teaching, with emphasis on continuity of care and holism.