Student learning experiences with Jamaican practitioners

Abstract

Due to the destruction of teaching facilities in primay care by a recent hurricane, first clinical year medical students were placed with general practitioners, in order to fulfil the requirements of a community medicine clerkship. Student feedback indicated a very high level of interest, with a variety of learning experiences—the attitudinal attributes of general practitioners ranking highest. This experience has provided a useful opportunity to enhance the training of medical students and to develop collaborative links with non-university physicians. This paper summarizes the experiences of the first 39 students involved in the clerkship.