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Clinical Placements are an integral part of a medical student’s curriculum. These placements are essential to prepare work-ready graduates. There are several key benefits of hosting medical students for both the GP and student.
Some of these include:
Research suggests that when students have a sense of responsibility and accountability, such as being able to see patients independently, their motivation is heightened, and learning experiences are more effective.
GPs who host medical students from the GCPHN Medical Student Clinical Placements program find it not only rewarding but key to:
To find out more about a GP’s perspective on hosting medical students please visit: https://vimeo.com/838543219/9c888987c1?share=copy
GP Clinical Placements for medical students provide students the opportunity to work in real healthcare settings, under the supervision of qualified General Practitioners. The aim is to give students hands-on experience and exposure to real patient care, allowing them to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting and develop essential clinical skills. Clinical placements in general practice are crucial for building competence and confidence in future healthcare practitioners.
In Australia, a general practitioner (GP) plays a critical role in the healthcare system, serving as the first point of contact for most patients seeking medical care. Clinical placements provide the student with learning and observing the following responsibilities that GPs provide:
To find out more about a student’s perspective on clinical placements please visit:
A GP supervisor takes on the role of providing guidance, mentorship, and hands-on training to the student during their GP clinical placement.
The GP supervisor’s responsibilities vary based upon the student cohort. Specific training guidelines are provided to the GP prior to hosting a medical student. These are included in practice documentation sent to the GP. The responsibilities of a GP hosting a medical student may include:
By providing a well-rounded and supportive learning experience, the GP supervisor plays a crucial role in shaping the medical student’s future as a competent and compassionate healthcare professional.
There are several mandatory requirements that must be met by GP Supervisors and Practices when hosting students:
The Practice Manager plays and integral role in facilitating a medical placement in a General Practice setting. The Clinical Placements team at the GCPHN works closely with the practice manager to provide the required documentation and any support that is needed throughout the course of the placement.
IP006 Services Australia Teaching Payment PIP Form GP and Practice Manager Process and Responsibilities
All medical students attending placement will be provided with a student and university specific certified and populated Services Australia PIP Teaching Payment Form (IP006) pages 2 to 4 to take to placement. Practice Incentives Program Teaching Payment claim form (IP006) – Services Australia This form will be provided directly to the medical student by the University. It will include the student’s name, student id number and be certified by the university.
Each day the student attend’s placement all teaching sessions attended must recorded on page 3 of the form and signed by the GP Supervisor(s). This must be completed for every session attended.
On completion of the placement, it is very important that the student and the Practice Manager arrange time to meet on the final day of placement and ensure:
A comprehensive step by step guide to medical students on placement can be found here.
Prior to the commencement of a medical placement all medical students are required to undertake the following steps:
All medical students attending placement will be provided with a student and university specific certified and populated Services Australia PIP Teaching Payment Form (IP006) pages 2 to 4 to take to placement: Practice Incentives Program Teaching Payment claim form (IP006) – Services Australia
This form will be provided directly to the medical student by the University. It will include the student’s name, student id number and be certified by the university.
Each day the student attend’s placement all teaching sessions attended must recorded on page 3 of the form and signed by the GP Supervisor(s). This must be completed for every session attended.
On completion of the placement, it is very important that the student and the Practice Manager arrange time to meet on the final day of placement and ensure:
Introductory clinical placements
These placements are for medical students in their final year of study, year 4 (Phase 3, Griffith University or year 5 (Bond University).
The aim of the placement is to introduce students to clinical general practice with real patients and opportunities to apply their new skills. The expected outcome is for students to have a better understanding of the specialty of general practice in managing undifferentiated conditions, preventing disease, and promoting health.
Examples of practical tasks for students include:
Your commitment is for three full days across three consecutive weeks, i.e., one day a week with specific days set by the university.
Final year clinical placements
These placements are for medical students in their final year of study (Phase 3, Griffith University). The aims of the placements are to provide students with more active opportunities to participate in clinical general practice under supervision as part of practice teams. The expected outcome is for students to be effective medical graduates with proficiency in clinical knowledge, skills, and reasoning. In addition, we would like to promote a career in general practice.
Examples of practical tasks for students include:
Bond students attend a mandatory orientation session on the first Monday and Griffith students attend the first Monday & Tuesday of their seven-week clinical rotation. They also attend mandatory teaching days on the Wednesday (Bond) or Thursday (Griffith) throughout placement.
Students attend a mandatory orientation session on the first Monday of their seven-week clinical rotation. They also attend mandatory teaching days on the Wednesday (Bond) or Thursday (Griffith).
Apart from these set days, they are available for placement according to the practice and GP supervisor.
Final year elective placements
An elective placement is an opportunity to provide our future doctors with appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills in general practice, and to inspire them to pursue general practice as a career after graduation. This can be rewarding professionally and act as a quality assurance exercise for GPs and their staff. Clinical teaching often requires reflection on clinical processes and explanation of them to students. Patients often benefit from the explanations as well. Finally, Final Year students have enough skills to assist with many aspects of patient assessment and treatment while they gain further experience.
The key elements of the Final Year rotations for GP trainers and the practices they work in are as follows:
This aim is to equip them for general practice and make them as useful as possible to the practice. Prior to the elective, students will have completed at least 5 hospital rotations. Consequently, they can actively contribute to consultations, some procedures, health assessments etc., thereby generating practice income while they learn.
Bond University and Griffith University, with the support of the Gold Coast Primary Health Network (GCPHN) Clinical Placement Team, have been facilitating clinical placements in general practice for medical students as a core component of their training since 2005.
Feedback has consistently shown that students consider their GP clinical placements to be one of the most enjoyable, useful, and influential experiences of the medical program. These placements are only possible because of the willingness of experienced and enthusiastic general practitioners and their teams.
We are always interested in meeting new GPs who are interested in becoming educational supervisors and work with each individual clinician and practice to understand their concerns and requirements.
To join the program and begin hosting students with the GCPHN Clinical Placements program please complete the online form below.
Once our team receives your availability, we will be in contact via email for you to complete the final steps required to become a GP Supervisor for the program.
The Clinical Placements team and Academic leads from Bond and Griffith University like to visit new and existing practices as part of the onboarding process.
To schedule a practice visit at any time throughout the placement year, please contact our team so that we can organise this with you.
Prior to being assigned medical students, we ask that all GPs participating in the program watch the GCPHN GP Supervisor Onboarding Video that provides a comprehensive overview of the program and associated GP Supervisor requirements.
Once you have watched the video, please complete the 2025 GP Onboarding Video Confirmation form that can be found below. If student supervision is shared between GPs in the practice, we kindly ask that all GP Supervisors watch the video and complete the confirmation form individually.
Complete the onboarding video confirmation here
Upon completion of the above steps, we will then commence the process of allocating students.
We look forward to having you and your team on the program and are grateful for your support, it is the valuable investment from GPs and practices such as yours that enables and supports the development of
the medical workforce of the future.
To assist you in providing effect feedback to medical students, please see below a number of videos and articles that may be of interest.
Teaching payment incentives for hosting medical students
Accredited practices, registered with the Practice Incentive Program scheme, are eligible for a government incentive payment of a nominated fee for each session (a session being three or more hours). A maximum of two sessions per day can be claimed. Up to date and detailed information around these payment incentives can be found at: Teaching Payment for the Practice Incentives Program – Practice Incentives Program – Services Australia
Teaching Payment Claim Form
An up-to-date link to accessing a copy of the current IP006 form can be found here: Practice Incentives Program Teaching Payment claim form (IP006) – Services Australia
Clinical Placements Team Support
The Clinical Placements team at the GCPHN are available to assist Monday to Friday via email at clinicalplacements@gcphn.com.au or 07 5612 5402. To further support you with hosting students, the clinical placements team and academic leads from Griffith and Bond University provide face to face visits with new and existing practices. If you would like to schedule a visit, please contact us.
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