About the Day Release Course (DRC)
The course for ST3 (last year of GP training) is based at Poole General Hospital postgraduate centre, but on several occasions each year we meet at Dorchester or Bournemouth postgraduate centres. There are usually about 30-40 GP registrars attending the ST3 course
We try to create a relaxed informal environment in which learning is fun & non-threatening. There is always ample time to relax and talk to your peers which we recognise is an essential component of the day. We encourage honesty, openness, & a sense of humour! We will ask you to take part, even take a few risks, but we shall always support & encourage you. We do not tolerate education by negative criticism & humiliation!
The schedule for the DRC is integrated with ST1-2 teaching. The new academic year commences each September and runs each Wednesday in weeks 1, 2 & 4 of each month with ST1/2 teaching in week 3. There is no meeting on 5th weeks when these occur. There are 30 ST3 Wednesdays each year resulting in a break during August. On ‘non-ST3’ Wednesdays GPRs usually work in their practices but, by negotiation with their trainer, they may take study leave on some of these days. We commence each Wednesday at 9.30am & finish at about 5pm.
We run two 2-day residential courses each year – a Communication Course at an hotel on the Sandbanks peninsula, and a life skills course at a clifftop hotel in Swanage (see below). The course also runs mock CSA days.
Other activities related to the course include dermatology study evenings, nMRCGP study groups, and occasional social & sporting events.
During your GP training years you will experience a fundamental change in the way that you learn. This transition is from the rote learning style of school & undergraduate training to the adult self-directed learning style essential for doctors working in general practice.
We recognise that this transition can be challenging, & we aim to guide you along this journey with the objective of equipping you with the skills & experience to become a motivated self-directed lifelong learner. These skills will also be essential when addressing the needs of your annual appraisal & 5-yearly re-accreditation.
Thus the emphasis is on learner-centred reflective group work in which environment you will begin to recognise the value of group & self-resourced active learning, as opposed to the passive learning experience of the lecture theatre.
Of course, we do acknowledge the value of contact with specialist colleagues who usually join us on Wednesday afternoons. On many occasions these roles are filled by GPs with special interests, who are often in the best position to understand the needs of GPRs.
A Typical DRC Day
We spend the morning in 4 groups of about 10 GPRs per group. Each group has its own regular facilitator (the COs as listed above). Mid-morning coffee is at 10.45. After an excellent lunch we all meet together for ‘soapbox’ - 15 minutes during which one group (in rotation each week) presents something of interest (usually non-medical) to the other groups. Following this we usually have a guest speaker/facilitator who acts as a resource, running an interactive session on one of a wide variety of clinical & non-clinical topics. We discourage didactic lectures and actively encourage questioning and relating teaching to trainees' real world experience.
The Residentials
On the Communication Course we look at communication techniques by discussion & video analysis, and then practice applying them in role play with actors. It is natural to feel slightly anxious prior to these events but GPRs usually find the course an invaluable learning experience which helps them in their daily surgeries, and also during preparation for the consulting skills analysis (CSA) component of the nMRCGP
The Personal Skills Course is composed of a set of modules designed to help you improve your working life. The aims of the course span overlapping fields ranging from maintaining one's own equilibrium in the world of work, to managing staff and negotiating with partners effectively.
