Speech from the Chairman of the Board of Medical Education
Dr Peter Dangerfield
Wednesday 30 June
Chairman, I move that the report of the Board of Medical Education, in the Annual Report of Council be received.
This report considers the work of the Board over the past session in a number of fields, so I will merely highlight the main achievements and indicate the future direction of our work in the coming session.
Medical education is constantly evolving and right now we are in the midst of a number of major changes in the way that training and education are carried out and received. With the advent of the PMETB and the developments of Modernising Medical Careers, the nature of education and training is being redefined. This knowledge drove the development of the work and projects we pursued this year, as we strove to provide our members with the most useful and up-to-date information available while helping to shape the changes on a national level.
In the past session we have completed a number of major studies and have published reports with recommendations, both in hard copy and on the BMA web site. The board has also approved several new information resources for doctors and students which have been place on our web pages.
Demography of Medical Schools
In recent decades, the student composition of medical schools has changed with regards to the age, ethnicity and gender of students. Many of these changes have made a positive contribution to the medical profession and have gone some way to increasing the extent to which the profession reflects wider society. However, the demography of medical schools remains an enormously important topic of discussion. Last week we launched this report which examines the socio-economic background, age, ethnicity and gender of medical school applicants and students. It also briefly examines admissions policy and procedures, and contains some data on disability and medical schools.
For too long, various groups of individuals in society have been denied an equal opportunity to attend university or to study medicine. In some cases this has been caused by differences in prior educational opportunity or lack of exposure to the possibility of becoming a doctor. At other times this lack of opportunity has been perpetuated by bias and discrimination during the application process and selection.
It is important to ensure that selection policies do not cause unfair differentials in acceptance rates between groups of students – particularly between socio-economic and minority ethnic groups. Selection processes must be based on objectivity and transparency, and medical schools should audit thoroughly the outcomes of their policies.
It is hoped that the data presented in this report will provide the basis for further discussion. However, it is clear that much more research needs to be done on the issues highlighted. Ideally, this will be combined with thorough audit of application and selection data by medical schools to ensure that any differences in admissions rates between groups of applicants are not caused by discriminatory policies.
Becoming a Doctor
As we all know, medicine is a popular career choice and competition for places at medical school is very high. In light of this, we produce an annual online resource entitled, ‘Becoming a Doctor,’ which raises key issues that potential medical students should consider, and answers commonly asked questions about becoming a doctor. It also provides unbiased information and sign-posting about where further information can be obtained.
Medical Education A-Z
This February the Board launched a new online resource for everyone with an interest in medical education.
The Medical Education A-Z is aimed at students considering careers in medicine, practising doctors, and professional organisations and is a living web document that will be updated regularly to keep pace with the latest changes in medical education, and medicine generally.
Appraisal: a guide for medical practitioners
From last year, appraisal has been introduced for all doctors working in the NHS. In November of last year the Board produced the report ‘Appraisal: a guide for medical practitioners.’ Our intent was to examine the annual appraisal process and provide a resource for doctors who are interested in learning more about the theory and practice of appraisal. This was launched concurrently with the BMJ learning web resource, ‘Struggling with appraisal and revalidation.’
We believe that an appraisal should be a ‘professional conversation’: an opportunity to celebrate success and find new opportunities to explore and develop talents and skills.
The board’s report looks at appraisal as a component of lifelong learning, emphasising that it is vital for personal and professional development. It notes that a successful appraisal will involve the investment of time, energy, and resources by both the appraiser and appraisee. The report also makes a number of recommendations and provides weblinks.
Supporting doctors career choices
A year ago we launched a hard-hitting report, ‘Sign-posting medical careers for doctors.’ It provides an outline of the current system for career advice for medical students, doctors in training and career grade doctors. The report acknowledges and shows that doctors and medial students are poorly supported in their career choices and makes recommendations to improve the future provision of career advice to the medical profession as a whole. In February of this year we, along with BMJ careers, held a national conference in order to address a wide range of issues around career services.
All the main stakeholders in doctors’ and medical students’ career choices, representing all the countries from universities, the deaneries, royal colleges, MMC, Clinical Tutors and beyond are now working together in a BMA-BMJ led national initiative "Supporting Doctor's Career Choices" with the aim of improving career services for doctors.
Career information, advice, guidance, and support is necessary throughout a doctor's professional life. This initiative will target both specialised groups such as female, disabled, and ethnic minority doctors while also addressing the needs of the wider community and the Board of Medical Education is proud to be leading this initiative.
Consultations
The past year has seen a number of significant changes to medical education in the United Kingdom. The Schwartz report which looked at widening access, selection and admissions to university; the consultation on the PRHO year and modernising the new doctor; and consultations on revalidation and assessment all stirred much debate and interest among the profession and the public. The Board of Medical Education is pleased to play a key role in representing the BMA’s policy in its response to government consultations on each of these issues, and looks forward to continued dialogue with Government on the impact of their policies on medical education.
Further issues for consideration
During the next session we intend to complete studies on a range of issues. These include management education and development for doctors and international standards for education and assessment.
Finally Chairman, I would like to express my thanks to all members of the Association. In particular Chief Officers, members of the Board of Medical Education, the Craft Committees and other colleagues who have assisted me during the past session, and who have contributed to the work of the Board, in promoting BMA policy regarding medical education and training. I would also like to express my gratitude on behalf of the Board to the Science and Education secretariat for their continued hard work and commitment.
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