E-Learning for Clinical Teachers
Frequently asked questions
You will find below answers to a number of FAQs.
What is the Professional Development Framework for Supervisors?
The Framework outlines requirements for the selection, training and review of supervisors in the London Deanery. Trusts are required to implement the Framework to meet regulatory standards that come into force in January 2010.
Does it apply to me?
Yes – if you have a specific supervisory role.
Educational or clinical or supervisor – what’s the difference?
An educational supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overall supervision and management of a specified trainee’s educational progress during a training placement or series of placements. The educational supervisor is responsible for the trainee’s educational agreement.
A clinical supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be
responsible for overseeing a specified trainee’s clinical work and providing
constructive feedback during a training placement. Some training schemes
appoint an educational supervisor for each placement. The roles of clinical and
educational supervisor may then be merged.
What training do I need to do?
Educational supervisors should be able to demonstrate that they have been trained in all areas of the Professional Development Framework (see framework areas). For clinical supervisors, training is mandatory in selected areas only. Training once undertaken – with the exception of equalities and diversity – need not be repeated.
How much training do I have to do to satisfy each area of the Framework?
The Framework allows for flexibility and recognises that every training course will be different. You should try and ensure that you have covered all of the topics listed in each area.
Do I need to be formally accredited?
Only if you are an educational supervisor. All supervisors should be selected for
the role and their name, contact details and training recorded on a database at
the Trust. This is usually held at the postgraduate centre. If you are an educational
supervisor you will also be expected to participate in a three-yearly cycle of
portfolio-based review.
By when do I need to do this?
After January 2010 you will need to be able to show that you have been trained
appropriately. If you are an educational supervisor you will also need to have
registered for, or participated in a portfolio-based review.
How does this fit with my job plan?
One of the purposes of the Framework is to bring some clarity to the job planning process. The Framework includes guidance for Trusts on the number of programmed activities expected for your educational role.
What should I do next?
Contact your local postgraduate centre to find out what training is available locally, and if you are an educational supervisor, what accreditation arrangements are in place.
I work under KSS Deanery but have responsibility for some London trainees, what do I do?
The role of some supervisors extends across Deanery boundaries either because they are working in Trusts outside London supervising trainees on London programmes, or because they are based in London Trusts supervising trainees that ‘belong’ to other deaneries. In these cases, the rules of engagement are quite clear. Supervisors are expected to comply with the requirements of the Deanery with whom that Trust holds an educational contract. Normally this would mean that supervisors in London Trusts are subject to London regulations. A joint statement from London and KSS Deaneries detailing this arrangement for Kent, Surrey and Sussex and the South London Foundation programme can be downloaded here.
Why will supervisors not need to update their knowledge through training on a three-yearly basis?
The primary purpose of the Framework is that it is developmental. We hope that supervisors will be encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills in the area of postgraduate medical education, not repeat courses. Trusts are required to provide a rolling programme of faculty development activities to assist in this process.
How the Deanery is going to ensure that all educational supervisors are properly trained?
Trusts are required to maintain a database of supervisors and their training undertaken. trusts will be required to provide this information as part of the Deanery’s routine quality management processes of local education providers. Ultimately the ‘proof of the pudding is in the eating’ and a number of quality metrics are being developed including trainee outcomes.
Who should I meet with about my portfolio if I am not based in a Trust and do not have a Director of Medical Education?
Supervisors working outside Trusts e.g. in community settings, should contact their own Specialty School in order to determine what arrangements are being put in place.
Who should keep my portfolio after it has been signed off by the DME?
The portfolio is yours, although your DME (or nominated deputy) may wish to retain a copy of the sign off sheet - section H.
How do we implement this before trusts ‘buy into’ SPAs/PAs being allocated for this activity?
This is an ongoing process with pressure being exerted from all sides. In future, commissioning regimes will link financial remuneration with quality measures, which will include the need for well trained trainers. In the meantime, with revalidation on the horizon, it is worth remembering that all doctors involved in teaching have a professional obligation to ‘develop the skills and practices of a competent teacher’ (Good Medical Practice).
What if colleagues do not want to be educational supervisors?
Inevitably there will be those who do not want to be involved in training if it is to be more formalised and accountable. This is regrettable but in future we may see fewer trainees with not every department or trust providing training.
What is the business case for this initiative?
Quality is difficult to cost. There is evidence that effective supervision is good for patient safety, improves the quality of their care and is better for trainees. With this in mind and on the background of the dispersed training and reduced clinical contact time that has resulted from legislation such as the European Working Time Directive, do we have a choice?
What sanctions are there if training is not being carried out appropriately?
Trainees may occasionally be removed from specific trainers, departments or trusts.
ARCP (annual review of competence progression) panels are not identifying problems or areas of development early enough. How can faculty development help tackle this problem?
By improving the quality of supervision and workplace-based assessment across the board and creating communities of interested and engaged trainers that communicate with each other and have a shared educational understanding of what is expected.