[Early professional contact supports professional development of medical students. EPC--a new course in medical education in Gothenburg].

Early professional contact (EPC) is a new course for medical students during the first two years of the medical curriculum in the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University. Small groups with four students and one tutor meet one day every month. The students participate in the clinical work together with the physician and his/her staff and practise communication with and examination of patients. In this article we describe the structure, the content, the basic knowledge and values of the course and the learning methods. We also discuss the results from a Course Experience Questionnaire and two focus groups. The students got insights into medical profession and health care and inspiration for future medical profession and confidence with patients. The physicians as tutors in clinical practice have an important role in supporting the medical students to build up their professional confidence by seeing, listening to and acknowledging them. EPC in the biomedical curriculum can help students balance and synthesize different knowledge, skills and attitudes.