Education and training

There are over 1000 students at Exeter Medical School and these students spend almost 25% of their clinical learning time in General Practice. This is in accordance with the recommendations of the RCGP that medical students should spend 25% of the curriculum time in General Practice. The policy informing this was based on research carried out at APEx.

There are over 500 GPs involved in providing placements over all 5 years of the medical programme which has an international reputation for innovation in undergraduate GP education. The department was the first to introduce Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships in the UK and ran one of the longest and largest longitudinal programme in the world.

Apart from providing placements GPs deliver large parts of the medical programme in roles such as small group facilitators, assessors, lecturers, clinical skills instructors, interviewers and senior managers. 

• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS)
• Medical Sciences (BSc/MSci)

APEx is responsible for hosting the Exeter Masters in Primary Care. This is a hybrid course with an international outlook and several opportunities to experience primary care in other countries. It equips participants with a thorough grounding in the evidence and core principles behind generalist medicine. Much of the work in developing these core principles was developed at APEX and the faculty also have extensive experience in primary care policy development and implementation.

After completing courses in the principles and practice of generalist medicine, participants can choose to specialise in a number of areas such as research, clinical teaching, leadership or public health.

International participants can also undertake modules that provide a sound preparation for the English MRCGP.

APEx also hosts CME modules on the Principles of Primary Care.

• CME modules on the Principles of Primary Care
• MSc Health Research Methods
• MSc Clinical Education
• MSc Primary Care

• For further information on postgraduate research study, visit the Medical School research degrees pages
  
• For more information about PGR programmes and support, visit the Doctoral College
• To see APEx members' current PGR, see the members of our team

• APEx has several associated research groups, and provides opportunities for involvement in research across a wide range of subject areas and methodologies
• ACFs will either create their own bespoke training programme, based on needs, or sign up for a research masters (MSc) course (for example, in Applied health Services Research)
• For more information visit the Clinical Academic Training Hub

• For more information contact:

  Professor Richard Neal, Professor of General Practice r.neal@exeter.ac.uk

Exeter and APEx have an international reputation in curriculum development in primary care. Many of the faculty have been instrumental in developing curricula in primary care in the UK and in many other countries such as Rwanda, Egypt and Nepal.  APEX faculty have developed a unique suite of face to face and online primary care teaching resources using online video technology, smartglasses and flipped classroom approaches that put it comfortably ahead of most other institutions.

If you are thinking about primary care curriculum reform or refresh or are involved with new medical schools setting up primary care programmes please contact Professor Alex Harding a.m.harding@exeter.ac.uk for further information.