Student assistantships: bridging the gap between student and doctor.

In 2009, the General Medical Council UK (GMC) published its updated guidance on medical education for the UK medical schools - Tomorrow's Doctors 2009. The Council recommended that the UK medical schools introduce, for the first time, a clinical placement in which a senior medical student, "assisting a junior doctor and under supervision, undertakes most of the duties of an F1 doctor". In the UK, an F1 doctor is a postgraduation year 1 (PGY1) doctor.