Developing a career in Medical Education

• Basic medical science teaching e.g., Physiology or biochemistry.
• Fellowships often combine clinical work with, for example, dissection room, anatomy demonstrating.
• Sociology related courses on professionalism, and ethics.
• Problem based learning group facilitation.
• Pre-clinical, early medical contact courses involve supervising pairs of students to talk to selected patients at home or on campus.
• Basic consultation skills, often through simulation with actors.
• Bedside clinical skills “twilight teaching “is popular with trainees particularly valuable in supporting students in the preparation for exams.
• Teaching in clinics and in theatres may involve students observing you or becoming more actively involved.
• Community-based teaching; history taking and examination skills in the GP surgery.
• Focussed GP dermatology, obstetrics and gynaecology, or paediatrics teaching with patient involvement.
• Final year, primary care placement teaching and supervision.
• Supporting with student audits and formal presentations.

1. Simulation

The role of simulation training in both clinical procedures and non-clinical skills (“human factors”, teamwork, communication, leadership) is expanding and accelerated during the pandemic to support redeployment. Experience can be gained working as a skills lab tutor or as a communication skills facilitator or PACES examiner. Simulation Fellowship roles can be at any stage from foundation depending on the local requirements.

2. Educational supervision

Clinical practice increasingly involves clinical supervision of junior colleagues and allied professionals. These skills can be formalised by completing training for example to become an F2 or specialty training, educational supervisor. In primary care, such training includes education theory, assessment of learning needs, evaluation and feedback as well as workplace-based assessment.

3. Regulatory roles (Interviewing, examining, and appraisal)

Becoming part of a medical school interview panel is a satisfying way of contributing to widening participation and diversification of the workforce. Acting as an undergraduate examiner is a good opportunity to meet other teachers at benchmarking sessions and can help develop your teaching. This can lead to postgraduate examining for the Royal colleges. Becoming an appraiser in primary care is a good way to become involved in the support of the professional development of GP colleagues. Training in writing appraisal summaries and locality learning sets support appraisers.

4. Education leadership

If you are aspiring to leadership roles, undergraduate opportunities include:

• Medical school tutor or lecturer , subject lead, or year lead -
• Director of medical education (DME)
• Dean

Post Graduate medical  education, leadership roles include

• Training programme director
• Associate dean
• Dean
• Head of school

5. Innovative roles in education

Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) offer the exciting opportunity to develop entrepreneurial innovations e.g., apps and those incorporating virtual reality (VR). The NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship scheme supports such innovations and NHS related startups. https://nhscep.com/

Individual trusts advertise clinical teaching fellowships which offer experience in undergraduate teaching on clinical placements , assessment and examination and remediation. The posts generally include time for the Postgraduate certificate in education PGCE e.g., 1 session /week and individual teaching development. Such posts are linked to a hospital clinical post in the same trust or expect a training post in Primary care.

Some clinical fellow posts are advertised as OOPE (Out of programme experiences) with different ratios of clinical: undergraduate teaching work for example 60:40 and are aimed at those at specialty registrar grades who understand education theories, have completed specialty exams, and have relevant experience e.g., in procedures (such as endoscopy), surgery/anatomy or simulation. These opportunities may arise throughout the year, it’s best to plan ahead.

Search on https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/  and https://www.bmj.com/careers/jobs/ or proactively approach your preferred trust.

SPIN fellowships are for newly qualified or early career GPs, practice nurses, and those new to nursing. 

They offer the opportunity for a project in conjunction with a salaried post. The local SPIN team and ICB (Integrated Care Board) training hub can offer information on available posts and projects. The project could be an education related one.

Salaried Portfolio Innovation (SPIN) Scheme – New to Practice Fellowships | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)

A foundation doctor who came to the professional support unit service because of dissatisfaction with their career and uncertainty about continuing, used free, confidential coaching to explore their strengths, values, and interests. Recognising that they had always enjoyed teaching, they used the coaching to plan how they would incorporate medical education into their career. As a medical student they had taught younger peers through the MedSoc. Building on this experience, they signed up for an Introduction to Clinical Teaching, and looked for medical education Fellow posts as an F3.  Having a clearer plan for the future, incorporating education, while still uncertain about specialty choice, gave them a sense of control and a bit more time to explore their career options with some tasters.

Access coaching and careers support at any stage in your training through your local Professional Support Unit. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/professional-support-postgraduate-medical-dental-trainees

Soundbites from experienced medical educators about what they love about teaching;
 

GP Undergraduate teacher.

"We all like to feel that we've made a difference to the patient in front of us but think how more we can make a difference if by imparting knowledge to, honing a skill of or changing an attitude of a class of students.  You can potentially make a difference to all the patients those students will see in their career!  However, teaching also has more immediate benefits to the teacher - it really makes you think about what we do, how we do it and why.  This helps us identify "unknown unknowns" in our own knowledge and skills. It also enables you to stand back and think about what you have learnt over the years, and how skilled you may have become - which we are not always good at doing, and is a good antidote for burn-out!  Today's students are mostly dynamic, intelligent, well-rounded, self-motivated and resourceful young people (no wonder I always hear teachers saying "I couldn't get into medical school today") who are delight to interact with.  What's not to like?"

...and another clinically retired, GP teacher

"As you have probably guessed I still love teaching and retirement from full-time practice has  offered me the opportunity to choose to engage in educational activities that are both paid and voluntary and with students of differing ages. As i am a carer for a family member, I find that a flexible mix of face to face encounters and internet tutoring suits me best . Apart from core case and communications skills training for medical undergraduates, I also supervise one or two medical students  doing a special study module in medical history.  I am also a  volunteer for the Refugee Council's Building Bridges project which helps refugee doctors study for the Occupational English Test and the PLAB exams. I expect you know these are required qualifications for GMC registration. This project involves about 25 retired doctor volunteers. Most are ex GPs.

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/get-support/services/refugee-health-professionals-building-bridges-programme/

I am very proud to be part of this important educational programme. In the last 13 years 147 doctors have been helped to obtain registration and find work within the NHS."