The GP Sub Deanery has paid tribute to the work undertaken by Coagh Medical Centre, and in particular, the significant contribution of its GP education lead, Dr Sandra Gray. Dr Gray was nominated by Year 4 student Katie-Rose McErlain for the QUB Robin Harland award (2023-24) for the outstanding quality of teaching she and her team provided to students on placement.
Katie-Rose noted “I am very grateful I was sent to this rural practice as it has changed my view on GP completely.
The collaborative culture of the workplace within this practice enriches it. Everyone came together to teach us, never saying no to helping us or taking us on. We got to know all staff by name and by the end we were sad to be leaving such an encouraging team.
Ultimately the thing that made the biggest difference in my GP experience was seeing the patient care that the patients got here. The rapport Dr Gray had with every single patient reminded me of why I wanted to go to medical school. Every patient trusted her making the consultation more organic and productive.”
Dr Gray, a QUB graduate from 2002, began her career at Coagh Medical Centre in 2006 as its first-ever GP trainee. She became a partner in 2010 and has been deeply committed to medical education ever since.
Dr Gray said: “I have always loved working in Coagh, even on the challenging days. I feel incredibly fortunate to look forward to coming to work every day, supported by a fantastic team and wonderful patients. “Teaching medical students has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve taken pride in welcoming more students into our practice over the years.”
Commenting on the practice’s achievement, Dr Louise Sands, GP Sub Dean noted, “This annual award from Queen’s University Belfast recognises exceptional GP tutors and Teaching Practice teams, with nominations made by medical students after their clinical placements. These placements allow students to refine their diagnostic and patient management skills through supervised consultations. The dedication of Dr Gray and her colleagues has had a real impact on Katie-Rose. Experiences such as these do much to promote GP as the specialty of choice for the doctors of tomorrow.”
