Community and Rural Education Route (CARER) Programme
The CARER (Community and Rural Education Route) programme, run in partnership with Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities, will give third year Cardiff medical students the opportunity to have a year of their education delivered in GP practices and hospitals in North and Mid Wales, giving them invaluable experience of working closely with clinicians and patients in community settings.
As Wales sees a critical shortfall in the number of doctors to serve the increasing patient demand, generated by a growing and aging population, this programme has been designed to bring young doctors to North and Mid Wales. The new programme will build on Cardiff University’s existing practice of ensuring its medical students are offered placements all over the country in a wide variety of settings and complements.
During this year long placement (referred to as a ‘Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship’ or ‘LIC’), students will work towards the same learning outcomes from the same innovative curriculum as their peers in Cardiff, under the guidance of a small, dedicated team of experts. The first programme of its kind in Wales, initially CARER will only be available for existing third year medical students.
Educational institutions from around the world have been running LIC programmes for over 15 years. Some of the positive elements reported from similar programmes include students acquiring an enhanced understanding of patient needs, better developed communication skills and stronger working relationships with patients, fellow students and healthcare professionals.
Parallel consulting, seeing patients independently and then reporting back to clinicians, ensures active participation which develops and reinforces diagnostic thinking at a much greater rate. In addition, following the patient into the hospital environment gives a unique view of what patients experience as they navigate the NHS. Students will benefit from working within well-developed, fully functioning medical teams. They will also have the unique experience of immersing themselves in a rural community for a year.