Primary Care at Kings College London

Overview

The intercalated BSc in Primary Care is an exciting opportunity for medical students to engage further with a general practice clinical experience whilst also studying aspects of primary care in more depth and undertaking a research project.

It aims to inspire doctors and health care leaders of the future and give an excellent generalist grounding to students planning a career in both general practice and other medical careers, equipping them with the skills necessary to lead integrated and innovative care.

• The clinical aspect will provide practical opportunities to improve clinical and consultation skills
• Focus on quality improvement, leadership, teamwork, as well as motivational interviewing skills which will be highly valuable for future careers
• Encouraged to run own ‘health improvement’ clinics
• Leadership skills will be mentored, coached and developed, linking the theory with practical experience
• Opportunities to apply leadership in practice
• Wide range of research projects available from within the School of Population Health and Environment Sciences
• Our iBSc journal club will discuss seminal and relevant research papers to expand medical knowledge
• Supported towards writing research papers, posters and presentations at conference
• Opportunities to learn more about healthcare systems in the UK and globally, history of the NHS, health inequalities and to develop teaching skills

Description

The programme is divided into three components: a clinical placement, taught modules and a research project and dissertation.
The course is run by King’s Undergraduate Medical Education in the Community (KUMEC) and the School of Population Health, which involves collaboration with the Departments of Global Health, Physiotherapy and Primary Care Research.

Career prospects

This programme is an optional component of the MBBS and hence has been designed to develop future doctors with enhanced skills in leadership, scholarship, teamwork and an excellent grounding in general healthcare.

As well as opportunities to improve clinical and consultation skills there is a focus on quality improvement, leadership, motivational interviewing and research, which are highly relevant and desirable in a wide range of specialities and professions. The academic aspect of the programme will develop and showcase your ability to research an area in depth and communicate this to the relevant audience; and there will be support with writing research papers and presenting at conferences which, again, are highly-desirable skills, providing an extra advantage in establishing a research career and in medical job applications.