COVID-19 has provided learning opportunities for medical students, supervisors and the public.

General practitioners, educators and students continue to successfully adapt to uncertainty and new challenges, be they clinical, contextual or COVID-19-related.

Establishing a culturally safe assessment of cultural safety, determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, should be prioritised as an essential component of registrar assessment.

GPs will need to adapt rapidly to change, seizing opportunities offered by disruptive technology in a globalised world affected by climate change.

The two professions have evolved with different social drivers and scientific underpinnings, with only a recent appreciation of the connections between the health of the mouth and the body.

We need to count what counts if we want to ensure modern workforce approaches can indeed produce a fit-for-purpose generalist workforce that is able to meet the needs of the communities we serve.

While the pandemic has profoundly affected medical services and education, general practitioners are uniquely placed to observe, to think and to respond.

The paper provides key strategies guiding practices to optimise implementing social work student placements.

Education in oral health literacy is key, and timely referral to dental practitioners may provide better patient outcomes with fewer potentially preventable hospitalisations.