Certificate of Merit

The Certificate of Merit recognises resident doctors (FY1 to consultant level), and celebrates excellent and innovative educational practice above and beyond what is expected amongst their peers.

Method of application

You will need to provide the following information as part of your application:

  • A completed Certificate Of Merit Application Form.
  • All claims made on the form must be backed up by attached evidence such as certificates of attendance, letters of thanks or student feedback.
  • Your application must be supported be a reference from your educational supervisor or the undergraduate tutor/director of undergraduate education at your NHS trust (to be uploaded with the application form). The reference should confirm that your application is accurate and that you make a contribution 'considerably above and beyond' what is expected of resident doctors. This example application helps to demonstrate what information should be included:
example-certificate-of-merit-application.pdf

You application should also highlight:

  • your teaching and academic support of UCLMS students and evidence of relevant learning activities, for example feedback from teaching sessions.
  • your professional development in medical education. 
  • how your contribution goes beyond those expected of your peers.
  • your future intentions to develop as a teacher, which may include undertaking specific training, peer review, using feedback to develop your teaching etc.

Award

All applications will be reviewed by the Medical School's Quality Assurance & Enhancement Unit, who will make a decision on whether the application should receive an award. Successful applicants will be sent a Certificate of Merit to include in their portfolios.

The award scheme is a rolling programme so there is no formal deadline to submit your application by. There is no limit to how many certificates the QAEU can award every year.

Further guidance

It is important to acknowledge and reward all teachers' contribution to teaching medical students. Even if you only manage to run a few teaching sessions, you should discuss these with your educational supervisor to ensure they are acknowledged and documented. Further guidance can be found on the UCLMS' MBBS Teaching Portal 

If you have any queries about the Certificate of Merit scheme or the other UCLMS teaching awards, please contact the QAEU.