The GP Sub Dean, Dr Louise Sands, was delighted to be invited to speak at the most recent meeting of the Northern Ireland Medical Students Committee (NIMSC), held on 26 March 2025. The NIMSC enjoys representation from each of the medical schools’ year groups.
Dr Sands updated committee members on the progress of the sub deanery initiative in primary care. Its key aims are to promote General Practice as a powerful teaching tool and to uphold consistent and excellent educational experiences for undergraduate medical students in Practice.
Interest in undergraduate teaching remains buoyant. Over 180 practices have offered to host medical students for the forthcoming Academic Year. With the first cohort of UU medical students graduating in 2025, alongside the first cohort of QUB’s C25 curriculum, there is a renewed focus on integrating primary care into all levels of undergraduate teaching. Stakeholder engagement will continue to be integral to this.
As Dr Sands notes, “It is wonderful to have the opportunity to engage with medical students on a regional level. I was pleased with the hugely positive response from committee members in relation to our work already underway. Now that the GP Sub Deanery is operational, we are acutely aware that it will only function at its best if all stakeholders, including medical students themselves, are able to shape the direction of travel. It was interesting to hear the varied viewpoints of committee members as to how the GP Sub deanery can be embedded into the medical educational landscape and how we can work together to enhance student experience. We look forward to continued engagement and, to this end, we have created a bespoke Medical Students’ Hub on our website. We have also scheduled meetings with the university medical student societies
