GMC praises Scottish medical schools' recruitment initiatives

More students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds being encouraged to study medicine

Mark Gould

Tuesday, 08 May 2018

The General Medical Council (GMC) has praised medical schools across Scotland for initiatives that are encouraging students from more disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds to study medicine.

In its review* of medical education and training in the country the GMC found that all five medical schools are working together to provide better access to resources for young people from lower income backgrounds who want to pursue a career in medicine.

At the Glasgow School of Medicine more than 20% of students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, thanks to initiatives such as a summer school to boost the skills of potential students and a pre-medical school course which guarantees entry following successful examinations.

The Aberdeen School of Medicine also has an outreach programme with NHS Grampian and further education providers to help students from deprived backgrounds by guaranteeing entry should they meet the minimum academic requirements for the course.

The school and NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles also help students in remote and rural areas through the innovative use of information technology to aid their learning.

As part of the review the GMC spoke to medical students, doctors in training, their educators and management teams at the five medical schools, eight territorial health boards and NHS Education for Scotland (NES).

The GMC also noted that the medical schools all signed up to the Reach Scotland programme which provides information and learning resources for demanding subjects, such as medicine.

However, some areas of concern were highlighted during the GMC’s visits, including issues around rota gaps which impacted on the amount of time doctors in training have to study, access to IT equipment and the consistency of assessments for students.

GMC director of Education and Standards, Dr Colin Melville, said: "Medicine needs to celebrate the contribution from students from all social backgrounds and so encouraging people from under-represented groups to consider a career as a doctor is hugely important. Scotland, like the rest of the UK, should have a diverse workforce, so it is vital that medical schools engage in ways to widen participation to medicine. "

Dr Melville added that, overall, the GMC’s findings in Scotland were positive: "The standard of medical education and training in Scotland is very high, and initiatives to provide more students with access to the resources they need to be successful are testament to everybody involved.

"The Scotland Deanery and NES deserve great credit for the support they provide to the boards and medical schools."

Professor Moira Whyte, head of Edinburgh University's College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, said: "We are delighted to receive such positive feedback from the GMC, which is testament to the dedication and professionalism of our students and staff."

Following its visits to Scotland, the GMC has set requirements and recommendations for the organisations detailed in its visit reports. They will report back to the GMC on progress. The GMC has also identified good practice and areas working well which will be shared with other organisations.

*National review of medical education and training in Scotland: 2017–18. A report prepared by the GMC, May 2018.

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