Pilot Program Proves Win-Win for Medical Students and Practices

Over the past nine months, Waitaha Canterbury has piloted a groundbreaking initiative, integrating medical students into part-time general practice roles. The pilot aimed to evaluate the ability to reduce the administrative burden on general practitioners (GPs) and provide medical students with hands-on experience in primary care.

Led by Canterbury’s Primary Care Taskforce (PCTF), the pilot involved six general practices. Through training and guidance, students quickly started helping clinics with managed tasks such as reviewing clinical inboxes, annotating letters, and processing discharge summaries. The significance of this initiative is underscored by the 2022 survey from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, which found 94 percent of respondents cited administrative tasks as a major contributor to burnout.

Chair of the PCTF, Kim Burgess, stated, “The PCTF aims to initiate small local actions that support capacity and workforce in General Practice. This project has successfully helped manage clinical admin workload, improving satisfaction and reducing the risk of burnout for GPs.”

Both general practices and students provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the pilot. The evaluation of the pilot practices reported a noticeable reduction in GPs' workloads, freeing up time for more clinical work and, in some cases, allowing GPs to leave earlier. Four practices also noted improved GP wellbeing due to reduced pressure.

Rakaia Medical Centre GP, Sue Fowlie stated, “Having a medical student assist with managing my inbox was incredibly helpful. It not only saved me valuable time but also provided the student with valuable exposure to a wide range of medical results and correspondence, benefiting both of us in the process."

For the students, the pilot offered a unique chance to experience the realities of general practice. One medical student stated, “This job brought my training to life, allowing me to follow protocols and work within a real clinic environment.” Students also reported no negative impact on their studies, noting that the flexibility to work remotely was a significant advantage. “For our undergrad years in clinical training, we have minimal experience in General Practice. This job allows students to have regular exposure to the specialty and will undoubtedly entice many students to become General Practitioners in the future,” stated fifth-year medical student Aleks Apperley.

The evaluation clearly demonstrated that integrating medical students into general practice offers a way of reducing GPs' administrative burden while enriching students' learning experiences.  The PCTF is now exploring how to expand the initiative, with work underway to create a sustainable model that facilitates ongoing employment of medical students in general practices and ideally helps increase the number of doctors choosing general practice as a career.

“It is an ideal time to consider employing a medical student. The summer break coming up, provides the option of getting to know the student in person through a specific project such as an audit, or filing work, as well as getting them familiar with managing GP inboxes then continuing this work remotely or in person through the year,” Chair of the PCTF, Kim Burgess, stated.

In the interim, practices interested in knowing more about employing a medical student as a Health Care or Clinical Assistant should contact Linda Wensley at linda.wensley@pegasus.health.nz.