Table 2 Students’ perceptions of barriers to learning clinical care in PHCPs

The faculty are too busy to teach

I learn when the faculty are available but do not learn as much from other doctors I am placed with

The faculty do not seem interested in my learning needs

I think I am often too shy to ask for the experience I need in the PHCP

I find learning with students of the opposite sex difficult and this detracts from my learning

I find talking to patients still difficult and a bit embarrassing

I feel I am too young to be exposed to the clinical environment at present

I feel that I lack an understanding of clinical medicine and consequently I don’t find the clinical environment as useful as I might do later in my training

I don’t find it useful learning from other healthcare professionals (I learn only from doctors)

I am not assertive enough to gain the opportunities I need in the clinical environment

The learning outcomes for the clinical placements in each unit are not clear

There are not enough patients in the PHCP for me to see