Early Clinical Experience (ECE) is designed to provide further clinical context to your learning and prepare you for education in a clinical setting. It comprises 2 components; (1) Simulation based learning and (2) Practice based learning.
Simulation based learning: Consultation skills (CSLC, Stopford building)
Through the GEM year you will attend consultation skills teaching sessions in the Consultation Skills Learning Centre (CSLC), Stopford Building. Consultation skills aims to equip you with a foundation of patient-centred communication and assessment skills, including purposeful interviewing, clinical reasoning, and physical examination skills.
During the sessions you will work in small groups with simulated patients and tutors from a wide variety of backgrounds. Together we will consider and analyse the patient experience and cultivate your approach as you develop your unique professional identity. The teaching will build on the knowledge you have acquired in your weekly learning including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, behavioural and social sciences, and ethics and law. The combined nature of our teaching will be tested through dedicated Clinical Competence Assessments (CCAs): See GEM CCA assessments section.
Practice Based Learning
The aims of your practice-based learning are to provide you “authentic, (real as opposed to simulated), human contact in a social or clinical context that enhances learning of health, illness and disease, and the role of the health professional.” You will be immersed in clinical environments, and we want to encourage you to make the most of the opportunities each space provides you. The foundation of your practice-based learning is to develop your confidence to interact with patients and colleagues in your role as a medical student, gain understanding of the NHS systems you will become a part of and hear from patients to develop your understanding of illness experiences. In addition, we want to support you to develop your professional identity as a future healthcare professional and be able to apply your classroom learning in practice.
Practice based learning is made up of experiences in Hospital and Community Care.
Please note: Students are unable to visit clinical environments until their DBS check is complete. Students are also expected to be registered with a GP at their term time address.
Early Clinical Debrief (ECD)
In your GEM year we will introduce you to the concept of Clinical Debrief. Clinical debrief supports you to make sense of clinical interactions, providing space to discuss and deliberate. You will have clinical debrief sessions throughout the programme in the GEM year and in Years 3 and 5.
During the first half of the GEM year, you will have several early clinical debrief sessions. These are taught online. In small groups, you will watch real-life GP consultations and your tutor will guide you through a reflective discussion to analyse the interaction. You will draw from your learning of consultation skills, bioscience and behaviour and social sciences and be introduced to clinical reasoning. These sessions will help you to contextualise some of your simulation learning into reality.
ECD within the Health in Greater Manchester Block: Following your clinical experiences each week in the 2-week Health in Greater Manchester Block, you will meet in a small group, with your tutor, and share the experiences you have encountered. Your tutor will support you to talk in a ‘safe space’, learn from each other and make sense of the interactions. These discussions will support you to reflect meaningfully. This type of clinical debrief (based on your individual interactions) models the clinical debrief sessions you will have weekly in Year 3.
Health in Greater Manchester Block
The Health in Greater Manchester (HiGM) Block is a 2-week period dedicated to providing experience and learning within the community setting, allowing you to recognise the diverse context in which people live their lives in the Greater Manchester area. It aims to facilitate you to develop an awareness of the roles and responsibilities of individuals and teams in community-based health, social care, wellbeing, charitable and education settings. It takes place immediately after the winter vacation in January and comprises of a variety of community-based activities including GP visits, Community team visits, facilitation of a teaching session within a primary school and an exploration of consultation skills session. There is also a student-selected session.
Each component provides opportunities for you to learn about teamwork and to practice your communication skills, preparing you for the clinical years of the programme.
Further information will be provided within your timetable and on 1 Med Info.
A Structured debrief session in the form of ECD, as outlined above, at the end of each week visit will facilitate you to generate meaningful reflections about your experiences and you will be asked to write a reflective piece about an experience within the HiGM block for submission to your portfolio, as part of your professionalism and personal development (PPD) activities.
In the event that you are placed for ECE visits at the GP surgery where you are registered you should advise the Community Placement as soon as possible. It is best practice to keep your work and personal contact with General Practice separate whenever this is feasible. Your personal data at your registered GP remains confidential.
Hospital Visits
In the second half of the GEM year, you will spend several days in your allocated Clinical Education Campus [CEC]. This time aims to familiarise you with the hospital environment and will allow you to meet members of the undergraduate team from the CEC that will be supporting you in your 2nd year of study, when you join students from the 5 year MBChB entering Year 3 of the 5 year MBChB programme. It further aims to develop your understanding of the patient care experience and journey in hospitals, the health care professionals’ roles, and the ward environment. Further information will be provided within your timetable and on 1 Med Info.
Representing the University and the medical profession
At all times during clinical visits or interactions with patients/healthcare professions you are representing the University and Medical Profession. Please ensure you appropriately represent your position through:
- Demonstrating a compassionate approach to all patients, staff, and students.
- Actively engaging with all learning opportunities.
- Working within the limits of your competency and asking for help and guidance.
- Ensuring you are supervised appropriately for any clinical task you perform on a patient (e.g., recording blood pressure).
- Directing patients to the appropriate health professional where necessary.
- Upholding the professional standards expected of you by the university and the GMC, for example dressing appropriately for a clinical setting (See FBMH Professionalism Policy and Guidance, pages 9-13), and understanding the concepts of consent and confidentiality. Please read: Duties of a Doctor
- Raising concerns with facilitators about patients and staff where necessary.
- Prioritising your wellbeing and safety.
Important note: Clinical environments can sometimes experience pressures that are unpredictable. As such planned experiences may change last minute so we ask for your flexibility and understanding. All experiences will provide you with contextual learning opportunities.
Occupational Health Screening
As the practical nature of this course brings you into contact with patients you are required to attend Occupational Health appointments soon after you arrive in Manchester. Occupational health are concerned with the prevention of ill health, they will ensure you have the required immunisations, minimising the risk of infection to both patients and you. Attending your occupational health appointments and completing your immunisations is imperative to ensure you are safe to learn in clinical environments. See: Student Occupational Health
Attendance, Timetable, Travel Arrangements
Your personal timetable is available on 1Med. Please check this regularly as scheduled activities may be changed during term time or at unavoidably short notice. Where this happens, we will endeavour to email you but request that you also check your timetable regularly and take responsibility to ensure you are aware of commitments that week.
If you are unable to attend a scheduled clinical visit you must contact the tutor named in your timetable to notify them as far in advance of your visit as possible. You must also complete an absence notification form on 1med. Clinical dress and hygiene standards must be followed whilst in clinical environments.
Plan your route carefully and allow plenty of time to arrive punctually.