The clinical teacher
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Problem-based learning (PBL) in the UK began with the first version of Tomorrow's Doctors, published in 1993. About 12 of the 32 UK medical schools deliver PBL programmes. At a recent workshop, representatives from 10 UK medical schools, one dental school and one veterinary school discussed implementations, strengths and weaknesses of their PBL curricula. ⋯ Points emerging from the workshop were that strong support from senior leadership is critical, people who will not 'sign up' must not be allowed to undermine the effort, tutors should want the role rather than being co-opted, tutors should be integrated into faculty and curriculum design, induction for staff and students with ongoing tutor development is essential and, finally, personal experience shows that PBL, performed well, works well!
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The clinical teacher · Dec 2010
CUSUM analysis to assess competence: what failure rate is acceptable?
Cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis is used to assess competency in practical procedures. Previous studies have used CUSUM to assess competence in administering labour epidural, but these assessments were mainly performed with novice trainees. Different acceptable failure rates for the same procedure, such as administering labour epidural, have been used. In this article, we describe our experience of using CUSUM for the continuing assessment of competence among experienced trainees. We also tested the hypothesis that setting different failure rates can lead to different conclusions about a trainee's competency. ⋯ Our study shows that CUSUM analysis can be successfully used for the continued assessment of competence in experienced trainees. It also shows that setting different failure rates can produce different results, leading to confusion and inconsistency when comparing CUSUM results. With the increasing use of CUSUM analysis, we believe that the organisations responsible for training, such as the Royal College of Anaesthetists, should provide guidance on what is an acceptable failure rate for different procedures, such as the administration of an epidural during labour, at different stages of training.
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The clinical teacher · Sep 2010
Recognising excellence in medical education: a student-led award scheme.
The standard of clinical teaching is acknowledged by undergraduate medical students and their clinical teachers as being variable.(1) Furthermore, there is very little recognition by medical schools of the teaching expertise and efforts of clinical teachers.(2) ⋯ The focus groups revealed that both students and their clinical teachers were very positive about the award scheme and the impact it has had, both personally and within the hospitals or Trusts of the award winners. The REME awards were viewed as motivating and encouraging for clinical teachers, and were particularly prized as teachers were nominated by their students.
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Evaluation research is a form of applied research that scrutinises how well a particular programme, practice, procedure or policy is operating. Evaluation researchers use both quantitative and qualitative research data to construct a collective picture of the programme under evaluation. ⋯ The methods of evaluation research described in this article enable medical educators to gain a comprehensive understanding of evaluation research in the context of medical education. The use of evaluation research findings helps medical educators to make informed decisions regarding a programme and any future actions related to it.