To my GPSN team,
GPSN has had an incredible year so far, and I am so proud of what our local clubs and teams have achieved in promoting general practice across the country.
Local achievements
From promoting community health through blood pressure screenings at UNSW, to delivering peer-led teaching through clinical skills events at the University of Adelaide, our local clubs have continued to embody the values of general practice in meaningful and practical ways. It has been inspiring to see the passion of medical students not only in running events, but in actively promoting general practice and rural generalism to their peers.
Alongside this, many local clubs have made important strides in advocacy within their own medical schools. Following the opportunity to meet with Heads of Departments at National Council 1 in Adelaide, several club chairs have continued these conversations, attended faculty meetings, and provided student input into general practice education. As a national body, we would like to sincerely thank the HODs for listening to student voices and continuing to champion general practice as an important and rewarding career pathway for medical students.
National strides
At a national level, the GPSN National Executive has continued working towards our priorities for the year. We recently held National Council 2, bringing together local club chairs from across the country to discuss their events, plans and goals. This meeting not only gave clubs an opportunity to seek feedback and support, but also allowed chairs to be inspired by one another’s work. It was a reminder that GPSN is strongest when we share ideas, learn from each other and advocate together for better general practice exposure in medical curricula.
GPSN also collaborated with eMedici to deliver an online webinar focused on MCQ cases in general practice. With over 380 attendees, the session covered everything from guideline changes to the complexities of screening protocols. We hope to continue this collaboration in the future to provide high-quality general practice education to our members and the broader medical student community.
Reflection: Is it useful?
To finish, I wanted to briefly share some thoughts on reflection.
Most of us have had to complete reflective essays during medical school, and for many including myself, they can feel like a chore. We often approach them through prescribed structures like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle without always understanding their deeper purpose. Yet reflection is not meant to be confined to an assessment task. At its best, it is a crucial part of how we grow.
We all make mistakes. We all experience setbacks. What matters is whether we are willing to pause, identify what happened, understand the root causes and create meaningful action plans so that we can move forward differently. While these reflective essays are often designed to make us think about our placements or academic progress, they also teach us how to reflect and, importantly, when to seek support.
So, while the past few months have been full of success for many of you, I also want to acknowledge those who may have made mistakes, felt lost, or found themselves worrying quietly in the background. Please reach out. Whether it is to your friends, family, tutors, peers or to us, there are people around you who want to help.
GPSN is not just a network of clubs. It is a community. And as much as we celebrate each other’s achievements, we should also support each other through the more difficult moments.
Thank you all for the passion, time and energy you continue to give to GPSN and to the future of general practice.
Warmly,
Dineshe
Dineshe Mohanarajah
GPSN National Chair 2026
