Objective To design and validate a new competency based selection system to recruit general practice registrars, comprising a competency based application form, referees’ reports, and an assessment centre. Design Longitudinal predictive validity study and a matched case comparison. Setting South Yorkshire and East Midlands region, United Kingdom, comprising three deaneries. Participants 46 of 1...

OBJECTIVE To establish the feasibility and safety of an appropriately trained clinical nurse specialist performing diagnostic cardiac catheterisation. DESIGN Non-randomised retrospective comparison between the first 100 and second 100 consecutive investigations by a clinical nurse specialist and 200 consecutive patients investigated by two cardiology registrars over a similar period. SETTIN...

A previous paper from the Merseyside Group of Senior Registrars in Accident & Emergency Medicine examined the desirability of a logbook for Higher Specialist Training (HST) in accident & emergency medicine in the United Kingdom and its principal ingredients (Luke et al., 1991). A survey of 100 senior registrars and recently appointed consultants in the specialty identified the main issues of im...

INTRODUCTION While most doctors believe they have a major role to play in breastfeeding promotion, and consider it worthwhile taking time to assist women to continue to breastfeed, it appears that gender and personal breastfeeding experience affect their attitude and confidence concerning breastfeeding issues. As doctors practicing in rural and regional areas may be expected to provide a greate...

OBJECTIVE To design and validate a new competency based selection system to recruit general practice registrars, comprising a competency based application form, referees' reports, and an assessment centre. DESIGN Longitudinal predictive validity study and a matched case comparison. SETTING South Yorkshire and East Midlands region, United Kingdom, comprising three deaneries. PARTICIPANTS 4...

BACKGROUND Pathology, imaging and other tests have an essential role in the diagnosis and screening for disease in medical practice. However, over-testing has recently emerged as a significant issue and has implications for the patient, doctor and health system. Vocational training is arguably the most critical period in the development of future patterns of clinical practice for the GP. This i...

Mobile devices with small screens and minimal facilities for interaction are increasingly being used in complex human activities for accessing and processing information, while the user is moving. This paper presents a case study of the design and evaluation of a mobile system, which involved transformation of complex text and tables to digital format on a PDA. The application domain was an eme...

Doctors training to become general practitioners (GPs) enter new ‘communities of practice’. For instance, they initially experience various types of isolation, need new skills and knowledge and find the organisation of general practice different to hospitals. ‘Communities of practice’ concepts help explain some of their experiences. The social nature of learning is shown by their need for relat...

Recent data suggest GPs contribute to successful resuscitation of cardiac arrests in the community. This paper examines uptake of Immediate Care training by GPs over a 12 year period. Data was collated on all courses and attenders (2002-2013). 244 cardiac, trauma and paediatric courses were held with 4247 attendances by 2069 individuals, including 1790 (86.5%) doctors. Of these 1648 (92.1% of a...

The role of the medical registrar is challenging and acknowledged as being a disincentive to a career in medicine for some junior doctors. We set out to build a broader understanding of the role through exploration of Foundation Doctors' and Core Medical Trainees' perceptions of the role. Data, gathered from focus groups, were analysed using a framework approach. Six key themes were identified,...