Job Description
Clinical Teaching Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
(Honorary Clinical Lecturer)
Address for Correspondence:
Mr T. Justin Clark
Clinical Sub Dean
Education Resource Centre
Birmingham Women’s Hospital
Metchley Park Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TG
February 2009
BIRMINGHAM WOMEN’S HOSPITAL NHS TRUST
JOB DESCRIPTION
1 POST TITLE: Clinical Teaching Fellow (Birmingham Women’s Hospital) and
Honorary Clinical lecturer (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Birmingham)
2 RENUMERATION: At appropriate point on specialist registrar (SpR) scale
3 ACCOUNTABILITY: The postholder will be professionally accountable to the Clinical Sub Dean / School Education Unit and clinically accountable to Post Graduate Clinical Tutor
4 THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE POST
This post, has been developed in collaboration with the University of Birmingham Medical School and has been created:
· To support teaching and assessment of increased number of undergraduate medical students within our Trust
· To provide an opportunity for a Specialist Registrar to opt for a 12month educational secondment prior to completing CCST
· To support the School Education Unit in curriculum development and educational research.
The post is suitable for a Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology who wishes to gain experience and skills in delivering medical education.
5 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology is in the Division of Reproductive & Child Health and is based at Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The Department is responsible for the design and delivery of the Development 1 module of the MBChB undergraduate programme, and the post holder will play a significant role in this area.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital has a lead role in developing and guiding the new curriculum for undergraduates in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (Development 1). This module has been received by both the Medical School and undergraduate students as an innovative style of teaching and assessment, in line with the General Medical Council guidelines published in 1993. The post will support this evidence based education programme and further develop the module in line with the modern education strategy to fulfil the requirements for Teaching Quality Assurance criteria. The post holder will have significant responsibility for the teaching programmes e.g. take part in teaching clinics, small group teaching, academic in days and student assessment. This is particularly important with the increased medical student intake. As this role will play a significant part in this clinical lecturer's post, a minimum of four teaching sessions have been protected for this purpose.
5.1 The outcomes required for the post are:
a) The continued improvement of the undergraduate teaching programme at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
b) The active collaboration with the School Education Unit at The University of Birmingham in educational research.
5.2 Undergraduate Teaching at Birmingham Women’s Hospital
The expansion of MBChB student numbers in the 4th and 5th year obstetrics and gynaecology from 2004/5-2006/7 are shown in the table below.
YEAR / TOTAL NO. OF YEAR 4 STUDENTS / TOTAL NO. OF YEAR 5 STUDENTS2007/8 / 397
2008/9 / 407
2009/10 / 430
Since 2005 Birmingham Women’s Hospital (BWH) has experienced the largest increase in student numbers, which currently stands at 30 students (6 - 4th year and 24- 5th year) at any one time. In addition to the substantial expansion in undergraduate placements, the assessment and examination of students has also undergone radical change assessment within Obstetrics and Gynaecology will be included at the end of year final examinations to be introduced in the next academic year. The four clinical competencies in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (taking a gynaecological history, taking an obstetric history, conducting a pelvic examination and conducting an obstetric abdominal examination) are no longer formally examined, but instead the assessment of these core competencies has been moved so that they take place during the clinical rotation. Only once these competencies have been passed and signed off can the student sit for final examination
The implementation of these changes has impacted substantially on consultant time and their ability to rigorously conduct assessments such that the reliability and validity of these critical assessments has been brought into question. An additional member of staff, in the form of a motivated clinical teaching fellow, is clearly required to meet the demands and requirements of these recently implemented changes in the undergraduate obstetric and gynaecology curriculum. It is proposed that the appointee in formalizing with the three clinical lecturers, would lead the teaching and assessment of core competences utilizing specific ‘teaching clinics’. This innovation would involve running up 6 weekly clinic sessions (3 obstetrics, 3 gynaecology) for teaching and assessment.
5.3 Timetable for student teaching clinics
AM / PMMON / Academic in day / Academic in day
TUES / Gynaecology clinic (EPAU)
Teaching lecturer / Antenatal Clinic (MA)
Lecturer
WED / Gynaecology clinic (EPAU)
Teaching lecturer / Antenatal Clinic
Lecturer
THUR / No spare room / Gynaecology clinic (TJC)
Teaching lecturer
Antenatal Clinic (MP)
Lecturer
FRI / No spare room / Clinical Skills Lab
Teaching lecturer
The schedule for these clinics has been based on the following:
· The workload will be shared between 4 lecturer posts.
· 3 sessions for the new post and 1 session for the other lecturers will support these clinics.
· Patients will be specially booked to these clinics. This has been agreed with the antenatal and gynaecology clinic managers.
· The new post may be linked to the Specialist Registrar rota in the future.
· Students can practice on models alongside actual patient encounters in clinic to improve their confidence (Clinical Skills Laboratory*).
.
This post would bring benefit to the Trust (junior support in clinics and on-call availability) and undergraduate medical education.
5.4 Configuration of Teaching
In the past students were examined at the end of each rotation. The exam included 4 knowledge stations and assessment of clinical competencies.
For these assessments consultants are invited from across the region from hospitals participating in the rotation.
Under the new system (since August 2005) assessment of core clinical competencies has been removed from the final exam and moved into the clinical rotation as outlined above (see ‘Undergraduate Teaching at Birmingham Women’s Hospital’). The provision of teaching and assessment concerning these learning objectives will be met through appointment of a new Clinical teaching Fellow and a reconfiguration of job plans of current lecturers. Advantages of this option –
· An extra person available to cover the Specialist Registrar rotas would allow better on call cover (no fixed on call is currently planned, but this may change in the future according to the needs of the Trust).
· Provision of additional junior doctors in clinic would allow better teaching of undergraduates
· Training of an additional person in medical education would increase medical man power competent in education issues within the region.
· Completion of this post will also help meet the urgent need to create more individuals with professional training in medical education.
· The prospective cross cover by lecturers within the teaching schedule will ensure that there is always a Lecturer available to teach the students.
5.5 Opportunities
The post graduate deanery and higher specialist training committee in obstetrics and gynaecology support the need for developing expertise in medical education within our region. No new monies are available for such appointment. However monies have been available for supporting appointed people to undertake distance learning educational diplomas and degrees. The expansion in medical student numbers at the school of medicine in the University of Birmingham will allow our Trust to increase our SIFT allocation. This allocation can be used to appoint an individual whose education could be supported through Deanery monies.
* The Associate dean for NHS Liaison has agreed to help fund this Clinical Teaching fellowship on the basis of ‘special case status’. This is to reflect the proportion of the post holders time spent in cross-Trust rather than in-Trust work (i.e. reflect the active role in the support and guidance of teaching staff and students in obstetrics and gynaecology in all Trusts, particularly with respect to the organisation, standardisation, peer review and delivery of core clinical assessments. The Clinical Skills Laboratory will be utilised for this purpose and the post-holder may visit other Trusts to conduct assessments). Thus a percentage of SIFT allocated for student placements in obstetrics and gynaecology in other Trusts throughout the West-Midlands will be top-sliced to part-fund the post based at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
6 JOB SUMMARY
This post, created in response to the expansion in the number of medical students, is designed to provide support to the undergraduate teaching at Birmingham Women’s Hospital and to facilitate the individual post holder to gain further clinical experience.
6.1 Teaching
A specimen timetable for this post is shown below although there will be some flexibility. It splits the week between different clinical activities, clinical teaching activities and medical education (lesson planning, curriculum development, research and training – for higher degree activities.
Timetable: Clinical Teaching Fellow Secondment
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7 PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential / Desirable / AssessmentProfessional experience / MRCOG part 1 / MD / Application form & CV
Education / Demonstrated interest, experience and enthusiasm for undergraduate and/or postgraduate education / Participation in Student assessment. Small group teaching. Post graduate education, development of lesson plan for teaching sessions. / CV, interview
Training/Specialist skills / Computer literate / MS Excel database / CV, interview
Research / Enquiring attitude, evidence of research and audit projects completed satisfactorily / Teaching/education.
Design of undergraduate curriculum student assessment / CV, interview
Other requirements / Ability to work independently & in a multidisciplinary team. Bright committed & able to produce consistently high quality work within deadlines.
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
Good organisational skills.
Ability to obtain Occupational Health Clearance
Ability to travel to meet the requirements of the post. / Friendly, non-dictatorial. Good sense of humour and highly motivated. / Interview, references.
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