Table 14 Suggestions by key stakeholders to improve training quality and capacity

Supervisors

1. Have better career paths for potential teachers that are appropriately remunerated.

2. Pay registrars a salary to reduce reliance on fee for service and impacts of NPT on registrars’ remuneration.

3. Better support from RTPs:

 a. Make teaching training for GPR a core component of RTP teaching

 b. Provide training to GP supervisors on the concept of the ‘learning organisation’.

Registrars

1. ‘Good doctor does not always make good teacher.’ More training on teaching is required for doctors who teach.

2. Support those registrars that want to teach. ‘I put my hand up to teach and got queer looks and no form of support whatsoever, so now I teach privately.’

3. The fee for service structure of general practice presents a barrier to teaching by registrars.

4. Stratify the teaching, for example, the supervisor primarily teaches junior registrars; senior registrars teach the PTs, and junior registrars and practice nurses teach the MS.

Junior doctors

1. Registrars should be given the opportunity, training and resources to teach, but teaching should not be compulsory.

Students

1. Support for keen GPRs to teach is vital as they are an excellent (and approachable) resource for medical students.

2. Educate practices about what medical students have to offer the practice. They have often covered the latest research at university, and are often postgraduates with a great deal of life experience, and as such can also contribute to knowledge in the practice, helping the supervisor and practice to keep up to date with the latest approaches.