May I humbly but strongly disagree with the comments made in a recent letter by Tim Lancaster in your Journal claiming that there is no link between exposure to general practice as an undergraduate student and future career choice to be a GP.1 Like much of medical education, there is of course no simple randomised controlled trial that links the complex sociological phenomenon of career choice and previous experience, but even a cursory glance at the latest career choices made by Foundation Doctors2 clearly illustrates the contrast of medical schools with high quantities of GP exposure (such as Keele or Hull York) and those with lower (such as Oxford or Edinburgh). Over the past 10 years we have asked our final year students at Newcastle University (n = 2563) before and after their GP rotation about their interest in general practice as a career. Consistently 35–40% report no interest before but an interest after their placement. Although not conclusive, surely this is a more persuasive argument than comparing current career intentions with those 40 years ago?
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