'Seeing old people with real problems like leaving the gas on': students' and tutors' reflections after piloting the second phase of a new, community based course for second-year medical students.

This short communication presents the results of an evaluation carried out with tutors and students at the end of the pilot phase of a new, community-based teaching course for second year students at St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Students were placed with different community-based healthcare teams in East London. The aims of the course were to enable students to observe, and be part of, the work of the multidisciplinary team, and to experience the continuing care of patients with chronic illnesses within the community.