Medical Education MA / PgDip / PgCert and Medical Education (Leadership) PgCert

Course title:	PgCert / PgDip / MA Medical Education and PgCert Medical Education (Leadership)
Apply:	direct to the University
Start (pt):	September/ variable
Mode:	part-time
Duration:	2-5 years part-time
Location:	Putteridge Bury campus
Faculty:	Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Department:	Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School

Summary

This innovative course combines study days, workshops and master-classes with remote access on-line learning.

The course is likely to appeal to medical, nursing and allied healthcare professionals who are engaged in education and/or training in either Higher Education, NHS or other practice based settings.

It may also be of interest to others who wish to develop their knowledge of education and training issues in the context of medicine and healthcare e.g. healthcare managers and educational developers.

The course has a strong practice based approach, designed to address the development needs of those new to medical education and training and those with considerable experience.

It has a flexible structure, with interim awards (Pg Cert and Pg Dip) and the opportunity to engage in stand-alone units or study days for continuing professional development purposes.

The course has a clear emphasis on the development of medical educator and educational leadership skills and affords opportunities to explore inter-professional, inter-disciplinary and disciplinary specific aspects of education and training.

Education and training in medicine, health and social care have undergone significant reform in the past decade, creating new challenges and opportunities for those with educational roles and responsibilities.

A unique characteristic of this course is its explicit focus on policy and strategy, change management and educational leadership, offering a stand-alone PgCert in Medical Education (Leadership).

The course is led by Clare Morris, Associate Dean BHPMS. The course team are established medical and healthcare educators with experience spanning undergraduate and postgraduate medical, nursing and allied healthcare education and training.

Visiting experts will make regular contributions to study days, masterclasses and on-line activity.

Why choose this course?

This innovative, flexible course combines study days with supported on-line learning
The experienced inter-disciplinary programme team have local /national advisory and consultancy roles in medical and healthcare education – with professional bodies and organisations and other Higher Education Institutions
The course has a unique focus on the development of medical educator and educational leadership capabilities for staff working in NHS, HEI and Independent sector contexts

Career Opportunities

This course supports the development of individuals who wish to pursue explicit educational and/or educational leadership roles in the context of medicine and health.

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The ultimate aim of the course is to foster the development of a thriving multi-professional community of medical and healthcare educators who can work effectively across professional, organisational and service boundaries.

The course team aim to model best practice in learning, teaching and assessment and draw upon a wide range of established and innovative approaches to learner support and development. There are three key learning and teaching elements:

An ‘experiential element’ - a wide range of learning and teaching methods including small group work, action learning sets, role rehearsal, micro-teaching and presentations, problem based learning, case studies, significant event and critical incident analysis, individual and group work;

A ‘virtual learning’ element –within a supported learning environment specific to the course;

An ‘independent activity’ element – including reading and reflection, workplace based activity, individual and group work, peer discussions and engagement with a range of e-learning resources.

Assessment

Assessment methods are closely aligned to learning and teaching methods and are designed to foster the targeted medical educator skill sets. The assessment strategy is designed to incorporate both assessment of learning and assessment for learning elements, linked to the development of medical educator and leadership skills.

Several of the assessment elements focus on writing for a range of academic purposes, including academic papers, grant applications, reflective narrative, management reports, policy briefings, poster presentations and systematic review of literature.

Others focus on opportunities for peer assessment (allowing students to experience both being assessed and assessing.) These opportunities include peer observation of teaching, educational appraisal, peer feedback on written work, peer review of grant applications and individual and group oral presentations.

Dissertation/project and research

The medical education project module provides the opportunity to develop interests and expertise in a chosen area of medical education research, development or leadership.

It enables students to: identify an area of research/development/leadership interest that merits research/development activity; plan, design, manage and evaluate a small scale project and demonstrate innovation in medical education and /or leadership.

Further details about the course

The awards have the following credit ratings: MA 180 credits; PgDip 120 credits; PgCert 60 credits. Units are available as ‘stand-alone’ short courses for CPD purposes.

Units available:

Medical Education in Practice (30 credits)
Core for MA/PgDip/PgCert Medical Education
Focus on learning, teaching, evaluation and assessment methods.

Contemporary Perspectives in Medical Education (30 credits).
Core for MA/PgDip/PgCert Medical Education.
Provides a contemporary theoretical underpinning for engagement in medical education, training, research and development activity.

Education Policy and Leadership (30 credits)
Core for PgCert Medical Education (Leadership) and option for MA/PgDip Medical Education.
Focus on understanding key change drivers in medical education and developing the capacity to analyse and discuss policy impact.

Professional Development (15 credits)
Core: PgCert Medical Education (Leadership) and MA /PgDip Medical Education.
Focus on identification of emerging professional development needs and strategies to address these.

Curriculum in Practice (15 credits)
Option: MA/PgDip Medical Education.
Explores principles of curriculum design and delivery.

Evidence-Based Medical Education (15 credits)
Core: MA Medical Education and option for PgDip.
Explores the nature of ‘evidence’ in medical education and frameworks to critically appraise medical education research.

Project (45 credits)
Core: MA Medical Education
Design, implementation and evaluation of a small scale educational research, development, leadership or management project.

Recommended reading

Hays, R. (2006)Teaching and learning in clinical settings. Radcliffe Publishing: Oxford

Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S. (2000) A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education. Kogan Page: London

Entry requirements

The programme is a postgraduate course and is open to individuals who have a first degree (or equivalent qualification or experience), in medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health professions or social care.

It may also be available to those from other backgrounds (e.g. healthcare managers and educational developers) who wish to develop their knowledge of education, training and leadership in the context of medicine, health or social care.

When applying to the programme you will be invited to meet the programme lead to discuss your learning needs and requirements and the appropriateness of the programme to meet these.

Special entry requirements

Due to the nature of the programme and emphasis on medical educator skill development, those applying for the Medical Education programme must be able to demonstrate teaching and/or training responsibilities.

Applicants require basic computing skills and should have ready access to off campus word processing and internet facilities (broadband desirable).

The University of Bedfordshire English language qualifications for international students apply.

APL routes are potentially available to those with 60 M Level credits from comparable programmes (e.g. PgCert in Medical Education/Healthcare Education/Academic Practice/Learning and Teaching etc. )

Fees, Bursaries, Scholarships, Costs

The fee structure for 2009/10 for UK/EU students is as follows:

15 credits £390
30 credits £775,
45 credits £1,1160
60 Credits £1,545

(International fees to be confirmed)

There are no special University bursaries available for this programme.

Attendance

Each module has a specified number of ‘contact days’ over each semester– typically two or three for a 15 credit module and 4 or 5 for a 30 credit module.

The PgCert award has 10 specified contact days, the MA award has 20 plus project supervision.

It is expected that in order to meet the requirements for satisfactory completion of a module, students will attend programmed contact days as is specified in module handbooks.

Find out more

If you would like to find out more about this course or would like to discuss the suitability of the programme, please contact Clare Morris, Associate Dean BHPMS and Course Lead.

E: clare.morris@beds.ac.uk

To learn more about the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School visit www.bhpms.ac.uk

For an information pack please contact Joanna Kargol, BHPMS Administrator

E: joanna.kargol@beds.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1582 743335

Related Links

• Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School

General Enquiries

• www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply for information about standard entry requirements, application routes, open days, fees and funding.
• T: +44 (0)1582 489286 UK/EU Admissions
• T: +44 (0)1582 489326 International Admissions
• Order a prospectus form. Enquire about courses and order a printed undergraduate or postgraduate prospectus.
• T: +44 (0)1234 400 400 University switchboard