"Students are the future of medicine and the future of our profession.”
Course structure
Our MBChB Medicine students undertake placements in primary care in each year of study; this is an excellent setting for them to consolidate and build their skills while seeing a rich breadth of clinical presentations. Patients don't need to be pre-arranged, as they should be people who've requested a GP appointment, and are happy and consent to see a student first.
Sunderland medical students have a great deal of early simulated communication skills training on campus, so they're ready to lead consultations with real patients from January of Year 1. To further support our students’ interactions with patients and colleagues, we place a strong emphasis on developing their professionalism, aligned with GMC standards.
During the first placement half day, we suggest that the GP tutor hot-seats with each student to support mutual confidence in the process, and help understand more about individual student learning needs. Thereafter, our students should have a booked surgery where they can practise their consultation skills and activate their clinical reasoning; we ask that our students not just observe a clinician. Supportive feedback helps the students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and develop as reflective practitioners.
In Years 1 and 2, depending on preferences and room availability, the GP tutor can observe the students or leave them to consult on their own to give them some practice in presenting clinical information. In both cases, the GP tutor will complete the consultation, gathering enough information to safely support patient management. From Year 3, students practise in parallel surgeries, with the GP tutor remaining responsible for patient care.
Overview of GP placement timings
The timings for GP placements by year group are:
- Year 1 – students will attend between January and March for six half days or three full days on Wednesdays
- Year 2 – students will attend between October and March for eight half days or four full days on Wednesdays
- Year 3 – students will attend from September to May for a four-week block. Practices may take students for up to seven four-week blocks.
- Year 4 – students will attend from September to June for a four-week block. Practices may take students for up to nine four-week blocks.
- Year 5 – students will attend from late August to April for a ten-week block. Practices may take students for up to three ten-week blocks.
All students are on leave for at least two weeks over the Christmas and Easter periods, so practices don't need to provide placements during these times.
Frequently asked questions
Benefits
There are many benefits of becoming a GP Placement Tutor, including:
- Becoming involved with shaping the future of general practice. 81% of students reported that GPs on placement had influenced their perceptions of general practice (Destination GP, Royal College of General Practitioners, 2017).
- Developing your teaching skills and improving your own knowledge, as well as your students
- Receiving training from us with three events annually, both in-person and online
- Diversifying your working week. Getting involved with teaching offers you something different from your usual clinical work.
- The opportunity to network with other GPs, such as other primary and secondary care tutors, at our annual training events
- The chance to showcase your surgery. Hosting medical students can be an attractive driver for future recruits.
- Providing better patient experience, as many patients enjoy interacting with medical students and appreciate the extra time they have talking to someone.
Remuneration
Remuneration is set by Health Education England and is broadly the same across medical schools. For 2025/26 placements:
- Year 1 is based on six sessions of three students, at £107 per student per session, totalling £1,926 per rotation
- Year 2 is based on eight sessions of three students, at £107 per student per session, totalling £2,568 per rotation
- Year 3 is based on one pair of students, seven sessions a week, at £100 per student per session, for four weeks, totalling £5,600 per rotation, up to three rotations a year, available from May to July
- Year 3 may also be available as two pairs of students, each pair doing four sessions a week over four weeks, at £100 per student per session, totalling £6,400 per rotation, up to three rotations a year available from May to July
- Year 4 is based on one pair of students, seven sessions a week, at £100 per student per session, for four weeks, totalling £5,600 per rotation, up to nine rotations a year available from September to June
- Year 5 is based on one student, eight sessions a week, for ten weeks, at £100 per student per session, totalling £8,000 per rotation, with three rotations a year available from September to April.
Testimonial
Dr Kathryn Hodges from Sacriston Surgery tells us about her experience of hosting Year 1 and Year 2 Sunderland students.
What's it like being a GP Tutor hosting Sunderland medical students?
"It was really enjoyable to be a GP tutor, as the Sunderland students are largely very enthusiastic and enjoy the early clinical experience. Their early focus on communication skills means that they're better than expected at speaking to patients, and the patients enjoy speaking to them, especially as presenting with problems where they actually need an appointment. This real-world experience gives the students a much better idea of what actually happens in general practice."
What are the benefits to your practice of having medical students?
"Having medical students really keeps you up to date and makes you think about things that you haven't considered for years. By seeing patients who are calling in for appointments, the practice gains appointments with the students, and the patients appreciate the extra time and explanation."
What do you enjoy most about hosting our students?
"It's nice to slow down and have the time to really go into depth about why a patient has come, as well as explore and expand the students' knowledge."
Do you feel well prepared to host Sunderland medical students?
"Very well supported by the GP team. It may be helpful to give student dates earlier in advance to allow planning, but I appreciate that this isn't always possible."
Contact us
If you're interested in hosting some of our medical students, please fill out the application survey(opens in new tab). It takes just a few minutes and a member of the medical placements team will get back in touch with you within five working days.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch with medical.placements@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).