The 27th Medical French Weekend course took place in Lille in April this year. Lille is proving a very popular venue and the demand to keep the course running in France is high. The course was a great success and brought delegates from the USA, Ireland and all over the UK. The course proudly allocates subsidised student places in equal numbers to doctors attending.
The course price includes all meals, accommodation and the course handbook.
There were talks from 2 speakers including Dr Paul Male, a GP who locumed in France after doing the course in 2016. Here is his article.
Vous Voulez Voir le Remplaçant?
My dream of working as a GP in France started to become a reality after I attended the AFMS Medical French weekend course in Warwick in April 2016. Eight months later in November I was ‘Inscrit au Tableau de l’Ordre des Médecins”. This took longer than average as my GP qualification in the UK dated from 1986, which was before the UK joined the EU! The GMC issued me with a GP qualification certificate dated 2016 which soled the problem. Finally I visited the branch of L’ordre in the département, where I was told where I could find work, issued with my certificate and a copy of the Hippocratic Oath.
I worked as a locum in Aveyron and Tarn et Garonne for two years in 2017 and 2018. Communication was a challenge at first but rapidly improved. There are many similarities to working as a GP in the U.K. Patients have the same pathology, symptoms and signs. Blood tests, imaging and other investigations are the same. Favourable differences include the two hour lunch break, ease of organising investigations and referrals, an also the general lack of administration for the GP partners. Even the GPs working in groups who I saw, had personal patient lists which made their work a lot easier. The patients do seem to be less demanding and don’t complain.
I had a fantastic time. Although not always easy, the work was very rewarding. If you have the opportunity to work as a GP in France, then give it a go.
Dr Paul Male.
We soon hope to bring you further short articles by delegates from the 2019 course. Keep a look out on the website, Facebook and in the next newsletter.
A huge thanks to the nine tutors who give their time to teach on the course and to Christine Greenwood who is course administrator.
Pictures from the 2019 course are now on the website
https://anglofrenchmedical.com/medical-french-course-lille-12-14-april-2019-gallery-3/
