Your GP registrar

Doctors in training

Each six or twelve months your practice has a new GP registrar working with you. This is a doctor who is on the training program in general practice and has taken a training position at the practice. These doctors are not the same as locum doctors and their experience is much less. Registrars in their GP Term 1 have not worked in general practice before and may take a little time to get used to the differences compared to working in a hospital. They learn a lot during this time – from their experiences with patients, the doctors in the practice and the office staff.

Teaching

Teaching is an important and required part of their training time. GP Term 1 registrars should have 3 hours set aside during work hours in order for supervisors to teach them in a structured way (less in GP Term 2). This teaching time is part of the supervisor / trainer’s role and they are paid for the hours spent teaching. Office staff can help greatly in this process by protecting this teaching time for both supervisor and registrar each week.

Booking patients

When registrars begin their first term it is expected that they will see 2-3 patients per hour and, as they gain experience, this can increase to 3-4 standard consultations per hour. Sometimes registrars may need advice on which items to charge for different consultations.

Teaching visits

Every three months or so a medical educator from General Practice Training – valley to coast or an external visitor will arrange to sit in with the registrar for a session in order to observe their consultations. The visitor or one of our admin staff will ring to make a time convenient to the practice and to arrange the details. It is good if the registrar is aware when this has been booked.

Your help in helping the GP registrar settle into the practice is greatly appreciated.