A career structure is needed in general practice that will allow future GPs to lead primary care teams that respond to local needs, President of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) Prof Tom O’Dowd has said.
Prof O’Dowd said it was important that new GPs can become a salaried partner and have a say in how the practice operated.
“And then for you to progress to an equity role and eventually, if you wanted, to become a managing partner. The ultimate prize, of course, is for you to have an opportunity to lead a local primary care team that responds to local needs,” he told GPs at the 2021 ICGP online graduation ceremony.
Prof O’Dowd encouraged newly graduated GPs to set boundaries to make sure they were not pushed into endless work by the system or by patients that conflicted with their professional values, and stated that this would be a significant challenge.
For those who may be planning to leave after GP training, Prof O’Dowd urged them to stay or “if you must go, please come back. We need to develop and shape general practice in Ireland where there is much to be done at all levels.”
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