Full instructions and details of these pieces of coursework will be provided in advance of each individual piece but the following is intended to give you an idea of the nature of each piece of work. In addition you will be required to complete two drug reviews as part of the BCS modules.

Reflective essay

Reflection is an essential element of good, medical practice and forms a vital component of Personal and Professional Development. The aim of this essay is to start to develop skills of critical reflection in preparation for later assessments including the end of Year 1 portfolio analysis and for future professional activities such as audit and revalidation. You will be asked to describe, evaluate and analyse an event that had some significance or meaning for you and the impact this had on you personally or professionally.  It might be an encounter with a patient, a healthcare event or experience of your own or someone else’s; something that has happened during the course (or even the event of starting the course itself); a personal life experience or something you have encountered in the media. 

Patient narrative

You will be required to write about a patient who you meet on your GP placements. The purpose of this work is to help you gain insight into the experience and impact of illness for the patient. We will expect you to approach this narrative from all perspectives – the biological, the psychological and the social. You should be able to demonstrate that you’ve listened to a patient and attempted to see the world from their perspective and that you’ve identified the patient’s main problems, concerns and expectations and how they impact on their life and those surrounding him/her.

Portfolio analysis year 1 and portfolio submission

The aim of this analysis is for you to evaluate and reflect on your academic, clinical and personal progress through the year and to demonstrate the use of realistic plans for your learning.  Being clear about (and reflecting on) your strengths and your weaknesses is a key part of this analysis. To assist this you will participate in giving and receiving multisource feedback which you will be asked to describe and reflect upon as part of this essay (see later for more detail). Discussion of your setting of learning goals and action plans to meet them is also important. We will expect you to use relevant evidence from your portfolio to support your analysis and also to make links between your experiences and theory or literature that enhances your reflective practice.

The presence of the required components of the portfolio summarised earlier and detailed in the portfolio information will also form a major component of this assessment.

Ethics essay

This piece of work will require students to use the four ethical principles to make a case for or against an argument in an ethical dilemma.

Disability case study

The aim of this work is for students to write a case study of a patient they have encountered in the community with a chronic disabling illness or disability. The purpose is to explore the relationship between disruption of normal bodily structure and function (by accident or disease) and disability, and to find out about the roles and contributions of different agencies in disability and rehabilitation.

Portfolio submission year 2

You will be required to submit your portfolio with all required components including evidence of a meeting with your Personal Tutor in which you will have reflected on year 2 of GEM and made action plans for your approach to the end of GEM exams and your preparations for CP1.