Many GPs have said that being a GP trainer is one of the best jobs in medicine. It is certainly a very satisfying, but also challenging job. It requires special skills which need to be continually refreshed. As a GP trainer you are a role model and that is a very responsible position to be in.
New Trainers’ Courses
These are held about twice a year and are a requirement to apply to become a trainer. Currently they are five days in length; the first two are residential followed by three further single non-residential days with two weeks between each one. There are usually about 18 to 24 participants on a NTC. The format is a mixture of small & large group work. Most of the time is spent in a small group of about six participants. The small groups are led by experienced facilitators. The work is mostly experiential and will equip you well to start on your journey as a GP trainer. You will discover about your own learning style and also some adult education theory. You are asked to bring a DVD of some of your own consultations and also one teaching session that you have conducted. You will have lots of opportunities to teach your peers and get useful feedback in a structured way from your peers. On one day GPRs and F2s come with DVD consultations, ethical and management problems to be taught by you. You will spend a lot of time learning about the new MRCGP exam from experienced examiners and recent successful candidates. You are required to complete an assignment of about words based upon what you have learnt on the course.
Experienced Trainers’ Courses
They are experiential and fairly intensive. You work in a small group of about six with an experienced facilitator for three days. There are usually about 12 to 24 participants. This is when you get a chance to demonstrate your teaching skills using DVDs and role play and get immediate feedback and some challenge in a safe environment. You teach your peers and also ST3s & sometimes F2s. We use the Cambridge-Calgary process to get to where we need to be faster. The format is very flexible and will be adapted to the stated learning needs of the participants. There is a requirement from PMETB to do one of these courses every three years between your re-approval visits. During the course you will be helped to produce a Mutually Agreed Statement of Learning (MASL) which will help to inform your educational CPD.
Trainers’ conferences
They are large one or two day events for about eighty trainers. They are an opportunity to network widely across the Severn PCS footprint.
They tend to be a mixture of presentations, group work and lots of information and experience sharing. Last October eighty of us had two excellent, busy days at Saunton Sands. We had some national experts on ePortfolio and WPBA to help us. Everyone had an opportunity to hone their CbD and COT skills.
We are planning to have two a year at the moment, each of two days. We hope that most training practices can send a trainer to attend one of these conferences each year. We will not allow individual trainers to go to two a year. We are a huge faculty of 250 trainers and about 40 Associate Directors, GP Educators and GP Educator Fellows. There is a wealth of talent and expertise amongst us.
For information about dates and venues of forthcoming courses look at the events page (click), or contact: