About your placement

The role of the Clinical Placements team at the GCPHN is to work closely with our participating university stakeholders, GPs, Practice Managers, practices, and you to provide a seamless and quality student placement experience. 

Below is a timeline outlining your placement process:

The Benefits of Clinical Placements in General Practice for Students 

Clinical placements in General Practice offer several benefits for medical students (dependent on cohort capabilities): 

1. Hands-on Experience: Clinical placements provide students with practical, real-world experience in a clinical setting, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to actual patient care situations.
2. Skill Development: Students have the opportunity to develop clinical skills, including history-taking, physical examinations, diagnostic reasoning, and communication with patients and healthcare professionals.
3. Exposure to Diverse Cases: Clinical placements expose students to a wide range of medical conditions, allowing them to observe and participate in the diagnosis and treatment of various illnesses.
4. Interdisciplinary Learning: Students work alongside healthcare professionals from different disciplines, enhancing their understanding of multidisciplinary teamwork and collaborative patient care.
5. Patient Interaction: Interacting with patients provides students with insights into patient perspectives, empathy development, and communication skills, which are crucial for building doctor-patient relationships.
6. Clinical Decision-Making: Clinical placements offer opportunities for students to practice clinical decision-making under supervision, helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
7. Professionalism: Students learn about the ethical and professional aspects of medicine, including patient confidentiality, informed consent, and maintaining a high standard of professionalism.
8. Networking: Clinical placements allow students to establish relationships with healthcare professionals, mentors, and peers, which can be valuable for future career development.
9. Exposure to Different Specialties: Students can explore various medical specialties during their placements, helping them make informed decisions about their future career paths.
10. Personal Growth: Clinical placements challenge students to adapt to new environments, handle stressful situations, and develop resilience, contributing to personal and professional growth.

Overall, clinical placements play a crucial role in shaping well-rounded and competent medical professionals by bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in a clinical setting. 

To find out more about a student’s perspective on clinical placements please visit: 

 https://vimeo.com/822859953/a5b531f772?share=copy 

Medical students undertaking placement must ensure they meet the following criteria; 

• Students are NOT permitted to undertake their placement with a family member or partner, in a facility where a family member or partner is employed, or in a facility where the student is employed. 
• Students are NOT permitted to undertake their placement if they are a patient of the GP/Practice and neither is their partner, or any member of their family.

We hope you are looking forward to your upcoming general practice placement.  In preparation for your placement, you will have received an email and a sms from the GCPHN Clinical Placements Team with a link to an orientation short video presentation that is cohort specific to the university you attend.  This orientation video presentation must be viewed, and all required actions undertaken.   

These orientation videos can be accessed below should you need to view again: 

Upon completion of your GP placement, the GPCHN Clinical Placements team we will invite you to participate in a feedback survey about your placement via email and/or SMS This feedback is valuable to both the University and the General Practitioner who hosted you for placement.  

You can also access this Post Placement Feedback Survey at: 

 Medical students feedback – Gold Coast Primary Health Network (gcphn.org.au)

In conjunction with Bond and Griffith University Medical Placement Coordinators and support staff the Clinical Placements team at the GCPHN, support is always available for medical students undertaking placements facilitated by the GCPHN placements.   

Our team can be contacted Monday to Friday during office hours via email on clinicalplacements@gcphn.com.au

For university specific support at Bond University please visit: 

Student support | Bond University | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia 

For university specific support at Griffith University please visit: 

Student support (griffith.edu.au) 

As much as we would like to assist all medical students wanting a placement in General Practice on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, we are unable to do so as we are specifically funded by Bond and Griffith University to facilitate medical students who are enrolled with either facility.  Outside of this we are unable to assist with placements.  

The good news is, there is an organisation with a dedicated arm for placements for overseas and out of catchment students which may be able to give you some assistance. 

Inbound Medical Elective Program – Medical School – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au) 

Feedback from both GP Supervisors and Medical Students around clinical placements is crucial as it provides insights for improvement, enhances understanding and fosters growth in our medical placements program.

Below are some testimonials that showcase examples from our GPs and students.

GP Testimonials

“As GPs, we never stop learning. Teaching and supervising medical students helps to maintain the learning culture, and stimulates discussion not only with students about diagnosis and management but with the whole practice team. 

The benefits are that we are all learn together. Students can also contribute by immersing them in the practice, and can add value by spending time with patients. By instilling a positive role model for general practice, our students can be encouraged to consider General Practice as a rewarding career choice, and if you are lucky as we have been, your students can return as GP registrars and then stay post fellowship.’” – Dr Andrew Weissenberger M.B.B.S. (Hons)., F.R.A.C.G.P.  

“Training at Hope Island Medical Centre and Homeworld Helensvale Medical Centre has been a real privilege. With supportive staff, and not just including the doctors, I was made to feel at home and confident in my ability to provide good quality health care. To see how a General Practice can be run successfully and feel part of the team that makes it do so has given me the passion for general practice that makes me feel inspired to go to work. Dr Andrew Weissenberger took me under his wing from when I was a medical student and I am so very happy that now I can contribute back to the practice as a fellow of the RACGP. The clinical placements program being run for Medical Students and Training Doctors is integral in shaping the future General Practice workforce as hopefully it inspires the next generation of GPs.” – Dr Simone Wright M.B.B.S.  

Medical Students Testimonials

Student 1:

“While every part of my experience was fantastic, on reflection, the most worthwhile aspect was that I felt like I was treated like a person the whole time I was on placement. It is rare in hospitals and can be a little soul-crushing when you’re trying to help a team out or learn and they are interested only in how you performed to help their team rather than whether you have learned or whether you’re doing okay. Every day I spent on placement in the clinic, I felt like I was valued by everybody.  My supervising doctor and the practice nurses were genuinely committed to teaching me, and everybody else in the practice was so supportive & always asked how my day was going. My time at the clinic will genuinely be one of my fondest memories on placement and I cannot thank everybody enough for their kindness in having me. My supervising doctor is a very compassionate and funny person, and a very diligent doctor – his patients are very lucky. He knows his patient-base very well and must have students often, as the patients he directed me to begin the consult for never once refused. I also had the opportunity to practise a few familiar clinical skills, and learn some new ones.  He let me be very practical whilst on placement which is something I really enjoy and can feel really proud of myself when I do a decent job. I find that I thrive really well when I’m pushed/given a task to complete and he knew the perfect balance of pushing me to try new tasks, and respecting where my skills are at when I lacked confidence. I genuinely hope with all that I have that this doctor continues to teach until his retirement – my time spent with him and everybody else at the practice has been endlessly valuable for my education.”  

Student 2: 

“I can’t pin a single aspect that was worthwhile because the whole placement was worthwhile. I think the broad variety of patients we saw really consolidated what I’ve been learning from my studies. The nursing home visits really allowed me to work on note taking skills and become a better intern 🙂 Best placement so far. Convinced to be a GP.” 

Student 3: 

“My GP supervisor looked for every opportunity to involve me and put my skills to practice. This was invaluable experience! My GP supervisor did a great job at looking for opportunities to put my skills to practice. She asked the practice nurses to supervise me with procedural tasks regularly so I could get lots of hands-on experience. She also involved me in consults all the time, always asking for my opinion and thoughts on management, not just after the patient left but also with the patient in the room. This really helped improve my confidence when discussing conditions and management with patients.”