Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education

This part-time, Master’s level programme is designed for healthcare professionals involved in medical education and training. There are growing expectations that those with educational roles and responsibilities should engage in professional development activity to enable them to model and uphold the highest standards.

This programme provides a sound foundation for allied health professionals who support undergraduate medical students and/or postgraduate trainees’ learning in Higher and Professional Education settings, including the clinical workplace.

The programme has been designed in collaboration with clinicians and other healthcare professionals. As a result, the structure of the programme allows students flexibility over module choice, minimising the potential for service disruption and allowing students to develop areas of expertise relevant to their role responsibilities.

One of our students says: “Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how engaging and motivating an online course can be.  I chose the course because I didn’t think I’d be able to make regular fixed times for teaching but wasn’t optimistic about how much I’d learn.  There seems to be a really good balance between reading, activities and forum discussions.  All of this is backed up by very engaged & responsive tutors which means that the course feels very much “live” despite being completed in our own time.”

This programme aims to produce graduates who:

• create welcoming, safe and purposeful learning environments
• design and deliver engaging and effective teaching, learning and assessment activities
• have purposeful, developmental conversations with learners that support their personal and professional career development
• have a sound grasp of key educational theories and concepts, drawing on these to develop and critique their own and others’ educational practice
• adopt a critically reflective and reflexive approach to medical education and training

Modules

Core Module

• Medical Education: Principles and Practice

Option Modules

• Approaches to Clinical Teaching and Effective Supervision; or
• Learning in Clinical Teams: Simulation and Work-based Learning

Undergraduate degree in Medicine, Dentistry or related health profession. Applicants must be able to access opportunities to teach/support learning. 

If English is not your native or first language, you must evidence your ability to write Masters-Level academic assignments, regardless of your country of residence. This can be done by providing an IELTS certificate (Overall 7.0, with minimum 7 in reading and writing). Even if you are working clinically in the UK, you must ensure that your personal statement demonstrates your ability to produce a cogent, accurately-written explanation of your reasons for applying. This means cutting out all general comments regarding clinical qualifications and work, and focussing on your teaching and learning experience, involvement and responsibilities, or your goals in this respect.

The programme is delivered primarily online, with three scheduled virtual small-group discussion sessions offered in the core module to consolidate learning of topics and key concepts.  Our online virtual learning environment includes weekly online discussion forums to further consolidate and extend this learning.  All modules contain experience-based assessment activities and students are expected to read widely and critically throughout the programme. Option modules offer face to face online sessions in addition to online activity.

All modules contain a literature-based assessment activity and students are expected to read widely and critically throughout the programme. All modules require written reflections as self-directed task-based activity; there are a number of self-directed tasks which require students to design, implement and evaluate authentic clinical teaching/supervision activities with one or more learners in a range of contexts.

In addition, each of the modules has an assessment task which requires students to review their own practice and suggest changes with a rationale. In the core module this is based on tutor observation of teaching, while in the optional units, this is based on recorded sessions that students self-critique, as well as further teaching observations. We see feedback as a central part of the learning process.

This structure ensures that students can personalise their programme to align with their professional interests and development needs, whilst still meeting the professional standards of two accrediting bodies, AdvanceHE and the Academy of Medical Educators, and those of the GMC.

Dates

Students are guided through the course by a calendar of weekly activities, some required, some optional or recommended.

The course comprises one 15-week Core Module*, and a one 15-week Option Module, which students choose from the available Option Modules.

August 2021 entry

• Core Module: 30th August 2021 – 10th December 2021
• Option Modules: 14th February 2022 – 27th May 2022

February 2022 entry

• Core Module: 7th February 2022 – 20th May 2022
• Option Modules:  5th September 2022 – 16th December 2022

August 2022 entry

• Core Module: 29th August 2022 – 9th December 2022
• Option Modules:  13th February 2023 – 26th May 2023

Upon successful completion of the programme you will be eligible for membership of the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME) and for Fellowship status of Advanced HE.

We are currently offering a 10% discount on the total fee!

This fee is payable in full in advance. The University accepts letters of support from sponsors.

If you’re considering applying to the course we encourage you to contact us, either before or after making your application.

Apply directly

We welcome applications directly via our online application form which can be accessed from the Apply button at the bottom of this page. Apply by 15th January 2021 for February 2021 start and 2nd August 2021 for 30th August 2021 start.

Help and support

If you need any help making your application or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email.

Current applicants

If you would like to make any changes to your current application, please email (and make sure you have your application number ready!).