Patient partners

Patient Partners are individuals who meet with small groups of medical students in an informal setting to assist with their medical training. 

These volunteers, living with a condition, are the experts; they know what the symptoms feel like and how that condition affects their lives. Sharing this personal experience gives the medical students an insight that they could not gain from textbooks or lectures. Patient Partners are highly valued and integral to the training of the next generation of medical professionals.

Patient Partners have a condition from which the medical students can learn. No specialist knowledge is required by the patients and all sessions are facilitated by clinical members of staff.

There are two separate undergraduate medical degree programmes taught at the University of St Andrews and each programme runs its own Patient Partner sessions.

For the BSc Honours degree programme, sessions take place at the School of Medicine in St Andrews and at NHS Fife community hospitals in St Andrews, Glenrothes, and Cupar (Adamson Hospital). Patient Partners can choose the most convenient location to attend. Travel costs are reimbursed if required.

For the ScotGEM (graduate entry) programme, sessions take place at various GP practices throughout Fife, Dumfries & Galloway, and Highland. A Patient Partner will usually attend their local practice to participate in a session. Travel costs are reimbursed if required.