Attending a Train the Trainer course (also called Teach The Teachers) is an excellent way to build your teaching skills and strengthen your portfolio. For some specialities it also earns points towards your application. Others give no points for attending a course, so it is worth checking your route before you book. This guide sets out what each speciality awards in the 2027 recruitment round, and whether our online or our live course earns the point.
For medical professionals, the ability to teach is seen as a key skill within the NHS. Taking a Train The Trainer course shows that you are dedicated to educating the next generation of healthcare workers and improving your own professional development.
Ensure your course is externally accredited for quality assurance and CPD points, so that your certificate stands up as evidence.
Which of our courses earns the point?
We run the same Train the Trainers course in two formats. Both carry 12 CPD points and the same certificate.
- Online course: self-paced and on demand, equivalent to a 2-day course. You can start straight away.
- Live course: a virtual classroom with exactly 6 hours of live teaching, plus the online modules.
Most specialities treat the two formats the same. A few, including Internal Medicine Training and the physician higher training routes, only count teaching training that includes at least 6 hours of live teaching. On those routes only the live course earns the point.
Points by speciality, 2027 entry
Read the table for your route. “0” means a course of that format earns no points there.
Specialities that score the course, online or live
| Speciality | Online course | Live course | What it counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaesthetics ST4 | 1 | 1 | Attended a Teach the Teachers course, Generic Instructors Course or similar. The guidance says a course attended online counts the same. |
| Clinical Oncology ST3† | 1 | 1 | Brief training in teaching methods lasting no more than 2 days. |
| Clinical Radiology ST1 | Category C | Category C | Category C of the teaching section, worth 2 of the 4 teaching points: other training in teaching methods after at least 2 days of study, such as Train the Trainers. A postgraduate qualification in teaching scores higher. |
| Histopathology ST1 | 1 | 1 | Brief training in teaching lasting 2 days or less scores 1 (3 or more days scores 2). Both of our courses are equivalent to two days, so 1 point. |
| Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) ST3† | 1 | 1 | Attended a basic teaching methodology course. The evidence is a certificate of attendance or completion, so the online course counts. |
| Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) ST3 | 2 | 2 | Attended a Train the Trainers course, Generic Instructors Course or equivalent. A higher qualification in medical education scores 4. |
| Occupational Medicine ST3 | 3 | 3 | Teaching the Teachers course attended. |
| Ophthalmology ST1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Completing a teaching the teachers course. This tier is capped at 2 points in total, shared with other teaching activities such as helping run a course or designing an e-learning tool. |
| Psychiatry ST4 | 2 | 2 | Attendance at a Teaching the Teachers course, Generic Instructors Course or similar. |
| Urology ST3 | 1 | 1 | A Training the Trainers certificate scores 1 if the course is medically focused, with at least 2 hours of medical training. |
Specialities that score the live course only
| Speciality | Online course | Live course | What it counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Medicine Training (IMT) | 0 | 1 | Teaching training below postgraduate certificate level, with at least 6 hours of live (synchronous) teaching. Our live course meets this; the self-paced online course does not. A postgraduate certificate or diploma scores 3. Upload your certificate and the course outline showing duration and delivery. |
| Physician higher training routes (27 specialities, listed below)† | 0 | 1 | Scores 1 only if the course is teaching-focused and includes at least 6 hours of live teaching (a one-day course). Self-paced online learning scores 0. |
| Emergency Medicine ST3† | 0 | 1 | We have kept the current rule (live course scores 1) until the 2027 guidance is posted. The official page says it is available shortly. |
| Vascular Surgery ST3 | 0 | 1 | 1 point needs a substantial interactive and practical teaching qualification. Our live course meets this; the self-paced online course does not. |
The 27 physician higher training routes: Acute Internal Medicine ST4, Allergy ST3, Audiovestibular Medicine ST3, Cardiology ST4, Clinical Genetics ST3, Clinical Neurophysiology ST3, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics ST4, Combined Infection Training ST3 / ST4, Dermatology ST3, Endocrine and Diabetes ST4, Gastroenterology ST4, General Internal Medicine ST4, Genitourinary Medicine ST4, Geriatric Medicine ST4, Haematology ST3, Immunology ST3, Medical Oncology ST3, Medical Ophthalmology ST3, Neurology ST4, Palliative Medicine ST4, Rehab Medicine ST3, Renal Medicine ST4, Respiratory Medicine ST4, Rheumatology ST4, Sports and Exercise Medicine ST3, Stroke ST3, Tropical Medicine ST3.
Specialities that give no points for attending a course
On these routes a teaching course is still worth doing for the skills and for interview answers, but it will not add to your score.
| Speciality | Why a course earns no points |
|---|---|
| Core Surgical Training (CST) | For 2027, a teaching-course certificate is only accepted as evidence for teaching you have delivered. The course alone earns no grade. |
| ACCS Emergency Medicine | No application points. You can talk about a teaching course at interview, but it earns no published points. |
| Anaesthetics CT1 | No self-assessment or portfolio points in the 2027 selection process. |
| Core Psychiatry CT1 | Longlisting then the MSRA. No portfolio or self-assessment points. |
| General Practice ST1 | Selection is the MSRA. No portfolio or self-assessment scoring. |
| Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) ST1 | No self-assessment. Teaching is asked about at interview, but a course earns no points of its own. |
| Paediatrics ST1 | Points reward designing, delivering, leading and evaluating teaching. Attending a course earns nothing. |
| Public Health Medicine ST1 | There is no scored application form, so no course earns points. |
| Community Sexual and Reproductive Health (CSRH) ST1 | Shortlisting is the MSRA, then a selection centre. There is no self-assessment, so no course earns points. |
| Neurosurgery ST1 | The education question scores only a masters, postgraduate diploma, postgraduate certificate or fellowship. A teaching course earns nothing. |
| Cardiothoracic Surgery ST1† | The latest form we have read scores only teaching you have delivered, course faculty or formal teaching roles. Attending a course earns nothing. |
| General Surgery ST3 | There is no teaching section. A postgraduate certificate in education counts only under degrees. |
| Trauma and Orthopaedics ST3 | The 2027 scoring system does not count attendance at teaching courses such as Training the Trainer. Only teaching roles and formal qualifications score. |
| Paediatric Surgery ST3 | The 2027 self-assessment form excludes Training the Trainers from teaching qualification evidence. |
| Plastic Surgery ST3 | There is no teaching section in the scoring. |
| ENT ST3† | The latest guidance we have read scores teaching you organise or deliver, not attending a course. |
| Paediatrics ST3 | Teaching is scored on teaching you design and deliver. No points for attending a course. |
| Paediatric Cardiology ST3 | The scoring guide counts teaching you deliver, not attending a course. |
| Chemical Pathology ST3 | Teaching training is listed as desirable, but no points scheme is published. |
| Diagnostic Neuropathology ST3 | A medical education qualification is listed as desirable, but no points scheme is published. |
Clinical Radiology ST3 has no recruitment for 2027, so it is not listed.
† Some 2027 rules are still to come. The physician higher training routes, Emergency Medicine, ENT, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Intensive Care Medicine and Clinical Oncology have not yet published their full 2027 rules, so for these we show the most recent rules we have been able to read. We will update this guide as soon as the new rules appear. The rest of the table follows the 2027 guidance now published.
What changed for 2027
If you read an earlier version of this guide, these are the points that matter most:
- Core Surgical Training: a teaching course on its own no longer earns a grade. A certificate is only accepted as evidence for teaching you have delivered. Read our Core Surgical Training portfolio guide.
- Internal Medicine Training: the 1 point needs at least 6 hours of live teaching, so only our live course earns it. ACCS Emergency Medicine applicants do not score a teaching course. Read our IMT guide.
- Histopathology: both of our courses are equivalent to two days, so each scores 1 point. Training of 3 or more days scores 2. Read our Histopathology guide.
- Radiology: the teaching section is graded A to E, and a course of at least 2 days is Category C. Read our Radiology ST1 guide.
- Ophthalmology: 0.5 points, shared with other teaching activities in a tier capped at 2 points. Read our Ophthalmology guide.
Where to check the official rules
Always read the scoring guidance for your own speciality before relying on any summary. These are the official pages for the routes where our courses score:
- Internal Medicine Training (IMT)
- Clinical Radiology ST1
- Histopathology ST1
- Ophthalmology ST1
- Core Surgical Training (CST)
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST3
- Occupational Medicine ST3
Speciality Points Checker
Check whether your speciality awards extra application points with our CPD-accredited 2-day on-demand or live course using the search tool below*
Evidence of training for Speciality application
For a training programme application, it is essential that you are able to provide two pieces of evidence of training:
Training completion: On completion of a training course, such as Train the Trainers, you will usually be awarded a certificate. If you do not have access to this certificate, a letter from the organiser confirming attendance on the course or completion of the qualification will be sufficient.
Course Outline: You will also need to provide the course framework. This confirms the duration and how the programme was delivered, whether it was live, online, or hybrid. For routes that need live teaching hours, such as Internal Medicine Training, the outline is what shows them.
Why Choose Our Train the Trainer Course?
Our Train the Trainers course is CPD-accredited (12 CPD points) and comes in two formats: online and self-paced, or a live virtual classroom with six hours of live teaching plus online modules.
Whether you want to earn points where your speciality scores a teaching course or simply to improve your teaching, our Train the Trainers course offers live and online options to suit your schedule. Use the table above to see which format your route counts.
What other course may be relevant alongside the Train the Trainers course?
If you wish to move into an educational position, we have other courses that sit alongside the Train the Trainers course. These build skills and add to your CPD record. Check your speciality’s scoring page to see whether a leadership or communication course is scored.
Medical Leadership and Management course: an online, self-paced course of 12 hours that carries 12 CPD points, for doctors who want to develop their leadership skills.
Advanced Communication Course: this course is still in development. You can register your interest on its page.
*We’ve done our best to keep this information accurate, but person specifications can change. Always check the latest person specification for your training programme before relying on this information.
