Year 5

Year 5 students undertake a 9-week Primary Care placement as part of their Preparing for Professional Practice (PPP) programme. The placement is apprentice-style and focuses on helping students develop the confidence, clinical reasoning and decision-making skills expected of a newly qualified Foundation Doctor.

Why Teach GP5 Students?

GP5 is often regarded as one of the most rewarding stages of undergraduate teaching. Students have completed their final examinations and are preparing to enter practice as Foundation Doctors. The emphasis is on independent consulting, clinical reasoning and professional development rather than delivery of a prescribed curriculum.

As a GP tutor, you will help students:

  • Develop independent consulting skills
  • Practise clinical decision making
  • Manage uncertainty safely
  • Build confidence prior to Foundation training
  • Experience the realities of modern Primary Care

How the Placement Works

Students are allocated to practices in pairs for a 9-week placement. They are out of practice every Wednesday for University-led teaching and should normally receive:

  • 6 scheduled teaching sessions per week
    • 5 student-led surgeries per week
    • 1 joint surgery per week
  • 2 hours of protected project time per week

The placement is designed to be flexible and can be delivered across three or four days depending on local arrangements.

Year 5 Teaching Dates

Teaching dates for the current academic year can be found in our teaching brochure.
 

Frequently asked questions

How many students will I supervise?

Practices are normally asked to take one pair of students per stream.

Can more than one GP deliver the teaching?

Yes. One GP should act as the lead tutor, but teaching can be shared across the wider practice team.

What if I am away during the placement?

Please arrange for a colleague to provide supervision during your absence wherever possible.

Who should I contact if I have concerns about a student?

Please contact the Primary Care Teaching Team as early as possible via phc-teaching@bristol.ac.uk

 

GP5 Resource Pack

We've developed a suite of resources to support tutors and supervising clinicians throughout the placement.

GP5 Teacher Guide 2026-27 (PDF, 4,384kB)
The main guide for lead GP tutors.

Support Fact Sheet 2026-27 (PDF, 182kB)
A quick-reference guide for clinicians supervising students.

Appendix Pack 2026-27 (PDF, 4,311kB)
Supporting resources and reference materials.

Example Timetable Pack 2026-27 (PDF, 294kB)
Example timetable structures and clinic templates.

Other Useful Links

Cluster Based Teaching 

Each week the students attend a "Cluster Based Teaching" session, similar to that done in postgraduate teaching.

Groups of 4-8 students from local practices meet centrally in their academy for one session each week.  This is be facilitated by a GP tutor. The aim of this session would be to give each student an opportunity to learn how different practices work, meet up and discuss issues that have arisen, and be able to share knowledge and experience within the group.‌

Contacts