Generalism in medical education

The workshop, hosted by the FPH Public Health Educators in Medical Schools SIG, will discuss the importance of training in generalism for future doctors. A panel of experts will share their experience of integrating the topic into undergraduate and postgraduate medical education along with integrating this into assessments.

Workshop aims

• Hear from experts how to address the challenge of integrating Generalism as a theme in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education
• Draft a set of learning outcomes addressing the above challenge which can inform medical education curricula (undergraduate and postgraduate)

The Future Doctor report and the NHS Long Term Plan highlighted the need to make a fundamental shift in medical education towards valuing Generalism.   An ageing population is more likely to have multiple morbidities (long-term conditions).  Many specialities, including general practice, psychiatry, diabetology and medicine for the elderly already appreciate this challenge and work in teams to provide holistic patient care.

Medical education has traditionally been designed around individual specialities (such as medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, cardiology, and ophthalmology). It focuses on training future doctors on the pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of individual health conditions.  We need to move away from the current model towards developing an inclusive practitioner for all types of patients and problems.  We need to integrate Generalism into all specialities, not just a few. 

We invite you to join this online workshop to learn more on this important topic, and begin shaping learning outcomes for undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. We will use the outcomes from this workshop to make recommendations to the GMC to influence the next iteration of their curriculum frameworks.

Agenda for the day 

This webinar was originally scheduled for 13:30 – 16:30