Communities of practice: A theoretical framework for undergraduate longitudinal placements.

Background: There has been a global shift towards longitudinal placements in undergraduate medicine, which are believed to play an important role in supporting medical student learning and professional identity formation. A better understanding of how learning occurs on such placements is needed, and community of practice (CoP), a social learning theory, has been proposed to form their pedagogical foundations. However, empirical research exploring learning through CoPs on longitudinal placements is limited.

GP registrars teaching medical students- an untapped resource?

Background: General practice placements are fundamental to undergraduate medical education but there are difficulties in recruiting teaching practices. Developing "near peer teaching" may help. Health Education England & UCL run a programme in general practice (GP) training schemes with Innovative Training Posts in medical education.

Near peer teaching in general practice: option or expectation?

General Practice (GP) trainees who teach medical students do so as near peers with established educational benefits for all concerned. Through teaching, GP trainees consolidate their own knowledge and skills whilst students value the experience of learning from teachers closer in age and stage. Importantly, involving GP trainees as teachers increases primary care teaching capacity and promotes GP as a potential career option for undergraduates.

Clinical Humanities in Primary Care for Year 2 Medical Students: A Student perspective.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. As part of a new MBBS Curriculum at GKT Medical School, King's College London, second year medical students undertook a clinical humanities assignment during their longitudinal GP placement.

Intravenous magnesium sulfate for treating adults with acute asthma in the emergency department.

Background: Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by airways inflammation, constriction of airway smooth muscle and structural alteration of the airways that is at least partially reversible. Exacerbations of asthma can be life threatening and place a significant burden on healthcare services. Various guidelines have been published to inform management personnel in the acute setting; several include the use of a single bolus of intravenous magnesium sulfate (IV MgSO4) in cases that do not respond to first-line treatment.