Pandemic impacts on rural general practice: Trainees and supervision team working and learning together

Objective

To explore the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions on general practice trainees interdependent learning, from the perspectives of trainees and the whole of the practice team.

Setting

Four rural general practices in Queensland that continued to supervise registrars, junior doctors and medical students through the pandemic.

Participants

Twenty-three members of the general practice teams, including general practitioners, practice managers, receptionists, practice nurses, registrars, junior doctors and medical students.

Design

Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants following an initial survey. Thematic analysis and the theory of interdependent learning were used to understand how supervision and training was both disrupted and sustained during the pandemic period. Reporting is informed by the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines.

Results

Learning affordances were transformed by the rapid implementation of physical distancing and other infection control measures. Telehealth consultations and remote working impacted on the interdependent relationship between the work environment, supervision team and trainees.

Conclusion

Practice staff identified new ways of working that arose through this period, including changes to practice team roles and the supervisory dynamic that enabled patient care and trainee learning to continue. Social connectedness was important to the trainees and the implications for future training need to be further evaluated.