Article Contents
Teaching Skills For Doctors
Teaching Skills For Doctors
Written by Francis Ugwu
What is Training The Trainers?
Training the Trainers, Train the Trainer, and Teach the Teachers are all various names for the same course which aims to develop the teaching and training skills of professionals who are not formal teachers or educators.
Training the Trainers is one of the most commonly completed professional courses internationally and is particularly popular with those working in healthcare, such as doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals and healthcare managers.
Training the Trainers courses for doctors and healthcare professionals cover the fundamental principles and skills of good teaching in order for participants to develop their ability to teach and train as part of their roles.
Comprehensive Training the Trainers’ courses cover the theories and models of learning as well as the practical elements involved in effective teaching.
Why Do A Training The Trainer Course?
Training the Trainer is one of the most commonly completed courses for healthcare professionals for good reason and in many instances completing the course is virtually mandatory for career progression. So why is this the case?
Firstly, the vast majority of positions of seniority require the ability to train, teach and develop the people you work with, and so it is easy to see the value of a course that specifically focuses on improving these abilities. Also, in addition to students or other professionals, oftentimes healthcare professionals need to teach their patients or other service users.
Secondly, Teach The Teacher courses allow healthcare professionals to provide concrete evidence of their capabilities as a teacher or trainer. This is vital for professional development and career progression because you may already be a great teacher but without clear evidence of your understanding of the essential principles of teaching and training, it can be difficult to prove this to an employer or in an application process.
Completing a Training the Trainers course shows employers that a professional values teaching and training and that they have achieved a certain level of proficiency in teaching. In many structured application and interview processes for local, regional and national jobs it is very common for the completion of Teaching The Teachers courses to score candidates additional marks. This is the case in applications for General Practice, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Surgery, to name just a few.
Which Teach The Teachers Course Should I Do?
When looking at what teaching course to do, there are a couple of things to consider. Firstly, do you want to do a face-to-face course, a remote course over video call or an online course that you can complete in your own time?
Face-to-face courses are more interactive, which is a real benefit for some. However, their downside is that they are generally significantly more expensive, require travel and accommodation and often have limited dates and spaces. Remote courses can provide a level of interactivity and save on the time and costs associated with being there in person, but learning via video call may not suit everyone, and the course is completed at the pace of the group, restricting you from spending more or less time on the areas you need to. Fully online Training the Trainers courses generally offer less interactivity than the other two formats, however, they provide the most flexibility regarding when to start the course and the pace at which you can progress through it. Online courses are also significantly less expensive and offer the same level of CPD certification as face-to-face courses.
The next thing to consider is whether the course is accredited. Accreditation means that the educational value of the course has been independently checked, and it also means that the course should provide you with some CPD (Continuous Professional Development) points. You should be able to see clearly on the website or in the course booklet if the course is accredited.
Lastly, look at the course teachers. Do they have a solid background in healthcare education, or is there little or no information on who will be teaching the course? Knowing who will be delivering the course can help you pick a credible course that is better suited to your learning preferences.
About The Author
Francis is a General Surgical Registrar and current PhD candidate at the Institute of Global Health Innovation under Lord Professor Darzi. He has a passion for teaching and scored an impressive 100% at his ST3 interview.
Useful Links
- Train The Trainers
Article Last Updated – April 2024
Train The Trainers
Enhance your teaching skills with our 12 CPD-accredited Train The Trainers course, tailored for NHS doctors and health professionals.
What’s Covered?
Teaching is a cornerstone of NHS healthcare, and developing your teaching skills is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and your career. Our CPD-accredited online Train The Trainers course, also known as Teach The Teachers, provides the essential theories and practical skills needed to develop your teaching abilities and to excel as a clinical educator. Complete online with instant access, or choose one of our live teaching dates.
More Interesting Articles…
Explore more of our most popular content and professionally written guides.
