Good Practice examples 2017-18

I use kindness, enthusiasm, humour and encouragement and allow students to make (safe) mistakes. I try to lead and teach by example. My teaching happens in lectures, tutorials, with patients in theatres and clinics and through my on-line SBAs and videos. I organise sessions where Year 6 students teach Year 4 students and, in the operating theatre, will often ask a Year 6 student to explain an issue to myself and a Year 4. I want to show students on a personal level that it's great to be a doctor and that it's a joy to help patients and people who are ill: that's why we're all studying - the best motivation!

Dr Robert Stephens, Consultant Anaesthetist, UCLH

My approach to CPP teaching is grounded on modelling professionalism, reflection, student participation and debate (to generate ownership) within a safe and supported environment. I actively engender a trusting, respectful learning environment so students feel supported to explore their learning and, in turn, learn from each other. The safety of small group work enables them to explore and understand each other’s views/beliefs beyond their own personal upbringing, which in turn informs their knowledge and interaction with their future patients.

Ms Sandra Gallagher, Clinical & Professional Practice Tutor, UCL Medical School

I often teach undergraduates on vascular topics on Thursdays and encourage them to scrub for the relevant operation on the Friday.

Mr Matthew Metcalfe, Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon, Lister Hospital

After feedback from students:

• I have constructed 2 YouTube sites to help different ways of learning (>200,000 hits).
• I have recorded 32 narrated SBAs that the students work through – I email them weekly to students across UCLH, the Royal Free and the Whittington.
• I have produced and displayed a clear curriculum on our website and 5 key things to learn each week.
• I have put all the Year 4 and Year 6 SSC learning documents on our website – easy 24/7 access.
• I have added a new procedure log book to make explicit student aims in line with the GMC’s ‘Outcomes for Graduates.’

Dr Robert Stephens, Consultant Anaesthetist, UCLH

I have entirely re-designed the Arterial Blood Gas teaching for Year 4 students. Feedback from 2016/7 showed that students felt under-prepared on this key clinical skill. I addressed these shortcomings by designing a three-part course taught through a theory-based tutorial, video-demonstrations and repeated mannequin-based clinical skills simulation. This course is now embedded as part of Module 4A’s Core Teaching and Preparation for Practice Weeks.

Dr Joseph Newman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Royal Free Hospital

The GUM/HIV course has been fully reviewed to maximise clinical opportunities; integrate team-based learning; focus on identifying undiagnosed HIV; and ensure confidence in HIV testing (GMC recommendation). Most patient encounters are 1:1 in outpatient settings, covering sensitive issues thus limiting us to only 1 student per clinic. Teaching clinics have reduced numbers to allow student involvement. Merging GUM and contraception services has also changed the student experience with the introduction of specific seminars and recently approved ‘simulated clinics’.

Department of HIV and Sexual Health Undergraduate Teaching Leadership, Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust

I have tried to improve both our formative and summative assessment activities and have actively recruited/encouraged and chosen my tutor colleagues for their ability to feedback well.

• My online SBAs allow students to learn then assess their knowledge and become familiar with SBA technique.
• I have added a one-hour 15 SBA end-of-term summary test session of the key issues with face to face feedback.
• I get and give individual feedback on all our Year 6 SSC students (about 30 a year).
• I give feedback and guidance on the Year 4 students that come to theatre with me.

Dr Robert Stephens, Consultant Anaesthetist, UCLH

I often design teaching assessments for the workshops I direct to help with learning. Prizes for high scores encourage active participation, but can also help mimic pressure as may be encountered in a real life clinical scenario e.g. when inserting a chest drain for trauma.

I regularly assess medical students in vascular scenarios on wards and in clinics in preparation for MBBS finals.

Mr Matthew Metcalfe, Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon, Lister Hospital

I use a number of techniques for assessment including formative, summative, self and peer assessment. My personal favourite is formative assessment as students make the best use of pertinent feedback to enhance learning. I arrange the mock OSCE and I dwell a lot on giving appropriate holistic feedback on knowledge, style and manner. I also started a formative written SBA assessments session, which the students felt was one of the most useful tutorials in their rotation.

Dr Rumana Rahman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital

Through regular small group teachings, I get to personally know a lot of our students. This allows me to tailor sessions more to the needs of the individuals and identify those with difficulties. I hope I am a friendly and familiar face to the students.

Dr Joseph Newman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Royal Free Hospital

I endeavour to create a relationship with students that demonstrates my supportive duty of care so they can develop trust in me. Although I am not a personal tutor, I am repeatedly approached for support and guidance outside of my contracted hours.  As a former stress manager, I use my knowledge of its theoretical framework to support students in their approach to studies, revision and dealing with exam anxieties.

Ms Sandra Gallagher, Clinical & Professional Practice Tutor, UCL Medical School

I meet the students on the first day and then on a weekly basis to make sure we are meeting their expectations. We are in touch with a very active WhatsApp group and responses to concerns are very prompt. The students appreciate this approach and find it very helpful. Weekly meetings help me keep track of their achievements and needs and make necessary adjustments while there is time in hand. There have been times when students have found it difficult to get a chance to support women in labour and I’ve had to ensure that we create opportunities for them.

Dr Rumana Rahman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital

I am currently studying a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education. I use the different teaching techniques and ensure that my teaching is evidence-based. I link this in with student feedback to shape future sessions.

Dr Joseph Newman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Royal Free Hospital

I am involved in the early stages of writing for a publication on ethics and law instruction for undergraduates with the aim to disseminate knowledge and exemplary professionalism.

Ms Sandra Gallagher, Clinical & Professional Practice Tutor, UCL Medical School

I take feedback from students on my teaching style and have evolved into a better teacher. Studying for a postgraduate qualification in medical education has helped in improving my teaching skills and I utilise a variety of new teaching methods.

Dr Rumana Rahman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital

I have designed and implemented a new interactive tutorial and mock exam on the Situational Judgement Test for Year 4 students. UCL medical students will now have a two-year advantage over their counterparts from other medical schools when competing for national foundation jobs.  This has received very positive feedback from students and is the basis for an active research project.

Dr Joseph Newman, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Royal Free Hospital

I set up the wet lab at Lister, which is an environment for workshop teaching using animal tissue. This has enabled me to teach practical operative skills such as cardiac and aortic suturing.

Due to the clinical complications witnessed in poor insertion of chest drains, I set up and run twice yearly workshops in chest drain placement for surgeons, anaesthetists and medical students. I changed the animal tissue to make the models more realistic.

I designed the ‘Surgical Mock OSCE’ for final year UCL students (after hours) in the vacated outpatients’ department to make use of multiple rooms for examinations. This received excellent feedback and was repeated. Junior doctors helped to run the course and gained teaching and leadership experience.

Mr Matthew Metcalfe, Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon, Lister Hospital

Team-based learning (TBL) harnesses student competitiveness and a desire for their team to succeed and avoid embarrassment to promote intense discussion to negotiate the correct answers and drives students to read preparatory material. Students peer-teach and peer-learn through TBL – a less intimidating way for weaker students to identify and address learning gaps. Students learn not only the material, but how to negotiate.

Department of HIV and Sexual Health Undergraduate Teaching Leadership, Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust

The academic specialty lead for the GUM/HIV programme, oversees and negotiates the overall design of the attachment, the balance of clinical and classroom-based sessions, the training of new staff in teaching and peer observation of the sessions. The specialty administrator co-ordinates the timetables of the clinical sessions across the different trust sites and services and the classroom-based teaching sessions and conveys these timetables to the students. The remaining members of the team have worked as paired “firm leads” for the Trust, liaising with clinicians and managers to ensure awareness of undergraduate teaching responsibilities, trouble shooting if there are potential gaps in provision due to staff absence and helping to write assessment items for summative exams etc.

Department of HIV and Sexual Health Undergraduate Teaching Leadership, Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust