A postgraduate course in primary and community care: impact on an academic department.

An impact evaluation was undertaken to ascertain the effects of starting a Master's programme in Primary and Community Care in the University of Sheffield Department of General Practice in terms of workload, use of resources, opportunity costs and general experiences of staff members. Total staff estimates of additional workload amounted to 2758 h during the first year of the course, of which the greater part fell upon the core staff (the course director and the administrative secretary). Staff reported opportunity costs in terms of time devoted to research. Core staff reported additional responsibility, and concomitantly, increased stress. Staff also reported that the introduction of the course had provided opportunities to develop new skills and new knowledge bases, and considered that the presence of postgraduates within the department had given it a 'lift' and raised academic standards.