Keywords: : General Practice – Education, Medical, Graduate – Peer Group – Faculty – Residents.

Background:

Postgraduate training in general practice has progressively shifted towards learner-centred, experiential and reflective approaches. Reflective Practice Groups are integrated into general practice training to support critical thinking, peer learning, and professional identity development. While the experiences of general practice trainees (GPTs) within these groups are well documented, facilitators’ perspectives remain underexplored, despite their key role in guiding reflection and group dynamics.

Research questions:

To explore facilitators’ lived experiences and perceptions of their role in faculty-led reflective practice groups for general practice trainees (GPTs), and to identify perceived benefits, challenges, and areas for improvement.

Method:

A qualitative study using an interpretative phenomenological approach was conducted in a university department of general practice (XXX). Fifteen experienced facilitators participated in semi-structured interviews conducted between March and July XXXX, either face-to-face or via videoconference. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymised, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis with independent double coding. Data collection continued until sufficient thematic depth was achieved. Ethical approval was obtained in accordance with national regulations (XXX).

Results:

Facilitators described a progressive learning of their role through peer observation and experiential learning. Facilitating these groups was perceived as professionally rewarding, fostering pedagogical skills, reflexivity, and a sense of belonging to an educational community. However, challenges were frequently reported, including workload, time constraints, and emotional fatigue. Group size and uneven general practice trainee engagement were perceived as barriers to effective facilitation. Co-facilitation was consistently valued, providing complementary perspectives and mutual support. Four main themes emerged: training and preparation, organisation and workload, group dynamics and trainee engagement, and facilitators’ well-being and motivation.

Conclusions:

Facilitators perceive reflective practice groups as meaningful yet demanding educational settings. Addressing workload, optimising group size, and strengthening facilitator training—particularly for online facilitation—may enhance their sustainability and pedagogical impact. These findings are transferable to similar reflective learning contexts within general practice training.

Points for discussion:

Balancing facilitation and expertise in Reflective Practice Groups.

Training needs and support for facilitators in reflective learning settings.

Sustainability and educational value of Reflective Practice Groups in general practice training.