December 13, 2023, by mszrm4

Reflections from one of our graduates at Winter UoN Graduation

CONGRATULATIONS

to our graduates today!

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December is the main graduation date for our MedEd graduates, as most finish their PGCert, Diploma or Masters in the summer and then the exam board ratifies all results in November.

 

 

 

 

This year, some faculty managed to attend as the date fit around clinical commitments, and so we had a small celebratory event on campus.

 

 

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One of our new graduates, Nathan Betteridge, has written this reflection on his time on University of Nottingham MedEd course:

Having initially done a PGCert in medical education at the University of Manchester I decided to complete the Masters at the University of Nottingham. I chose this institution because they had many module options to choose from that allowed me to explore my interests in medical education including technology enhanced learning and clinical reasoning (amongst a whole host of others). Not only did the modules seem relevant but the course is very much focussed on the research and evidence base for doing what we do in MedEd. They went beyond simply the “what does the evidence or studies suggest” but also asked the questions “how does it apply to what I do as an educator?” and “How will it impact my day to day practice in education?”

I can thoroughly recommend taking this time to learn more, better yourself as an educator and develop key skills that will ultimately improve the education of other medical professionals.

Here are 3 things I’ve taken away from my Master’s experience:

I have developed abilities to critically appraise education research. In particular, I have discovered that good qualitative research should follow specific methodology and it is important to pick the correct methodology to answer the specific question. This may seem obvious but it really hit home that I perhaps have looked less favourably on qualitative research thinking it was less rigorous, which is not the case at all! Good qualitative research can give depth and richness to our understanding in education.

I feel more confident and equipped to do my own education research. By undertaking my own dissertation study, I have learnt so much about education research and have applied a number of things that I learnt in previous modules. My study looked at how post-graduate education leaders conceptualised their practice, I chose this as it is an area of education that I find interesting and I also felt that it was not fully understood or researched (this was demonstrated in my literature review). I was well supported throughout this research process and learnt how to:

1. 1. 1.  Perform a literature search and develop a research question based on the gap that I found
      2.  Identify a suitable way/method of investigating my question
      3.  Write and apply for ethical approval
      4.  Gain permission and recruit educational leaders for my study
      5.  Conduct semi structured interviews
      6.  Analyse data using a qualitative methodology (in this case I used phenomenography)
      7.  Utilise software that specialises in qualitative data management
      8.  Write all of this up and develop an argument thread
      9.  Discuss why my research mattered and the implications for education leadership practice
      10.  Highlight areas of further research

The Master’s has not only made me a better, more informed educator – developing educational moments that are engaging for the learner and impactful – but I now also have a better appreciation for elements such as organisation, implementation and development of education programme and curriculum. Personally, it has opened doors to career opportunities in medical education both at a postgraduate and undergraduate level.

Dr Nathan Betteridge is a Consultant Anaesthetist in Manchester. He was recently appointed to the role of Lead Clinical Tutor Years 1&2, University of Manchester Medical School

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If you would like to join us on the Post-Graduate taught courses in Medical Education at Nottingham, you can find the details here and make enquiries: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/course/taught/medical-education-mmedsci

Our PGCert is accredited by @AdvanceHE  and  @MedicalEducator

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