Delivering an exploratory near-peer teaching pilot in general practice
A qualitative study of the experiences of GP speciality trainees and medical students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22425117 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julie Carson (0009-0009-9962-8482, University of Nottingham, corresponding author), Herb Emery (University of Nottingham), Heidi Emery (0009-0005-9504-9492), Jaspal Taggar (0000-0002-5031-0977, University of Nottingham), Emma Wilson (0000-0003-1653-9345, University of Nottingham) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 276-276 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC Medical Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-6920 • E-ISSN: 1472-6920 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s12909-026-08637-6 |
| PMID | 41559715 |
| OpenAlex | W7125121822 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
BACKGROUND: Significant challenges exist for ensuring adequate clinical placement capacity for medical students within healthcare. Innovative solutions are needed to address these. Near-peer teaching (NPT) may provide educational benefits which extend to both the learners and the peer tutors involved. We designed and implemented a pilot scheme whereby General Practice Speciality Trainees (GPSTs) in the United Kingdom supervised first year graduate entry medical students across six visits to general practice. OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of the GPSTs and the medical students within the pilot study to gain insight into their perceptions of NPT and its delivery within this scheme. METHODS: A qualitative design using focus groups was chosen to explore the participant’s experiences. The focus groups took a semi-structured format based around questions designed to answer the research aims. Seven out of seven (100%) GPSTs and six out of seven (86%) medical students that participated in the pilot scheme took part in focus groups. RESULTS: Data analysis generated three main themes: near-peer supervision benefits GPSTs and students, reciprocal relationships are significant to the educational experience and the organisation of the project and placements is key to success. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of GPSTs and medical students were positive, highlighting particular benefit of a longitudinally developed near-peer relationship. If similar findings were replicated on a larger scale and across institutions, this would add confidence for the role of GPSTs in teaching medical students during clinical placements, which could in turn improve training capacity.
Exploratory research · Focus group · Perception · Qualitative analysis · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Reciprocal · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Innovations in Medical Education · Mentoring and Academic Development
| Highly cited | No |
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