PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

This quarter is replete with interesting articles, and we have only been able to give a flavour of the medical education journals. There is much to be applauded, and good educational practice. There is one short report that should worry us all: the paper in Medical Education that shows a declining interest in general practice as a career aspiration. Readers of this section, can you tell me what we are to do? Why don’t all medical graduates want to be at the forefront of a primary careled NHS? Don’t they realise that many hospital specialisms are becoming procedure heavy and absurdly overspecialised? To be an excellent GP is much harder than becoming an excellent consultant, so why aren’t people interested?

On a more positive note, the BMJ have introduced a new section called ‘Learning in Practice’ and, despite the fact that it is in a general journal, the early signs are encouraging. As Gremio says in The Taming of the Shrew: ‘O! This learning, what a thing it is!’ Let us hope that it does not generate Grumio’s response in an aside: ‘O! This woodcock, what an ass it is!’

Dominic Faux

Steve Field

David Wall

Each article is graded from 1–5

IMPORTANCE: ✧ (very marginal) to ✧✧✧✧✧ (essential reading)

EASE OF READING: ☻ (impenetrable) to ☻☻☻☻☻ (very clear)