Clinical Teaching Fellows dedicate time to medical education

Clinical Teaching

Fellows

A Clinical Teaching Fellow (CTF) is a qualified doctor who has taken a year out of training, often after completing foundation years, to dedicate their time to medical education.

WHY BECOME A CTF AT

Russells Hall Hospital?

An opportunity to develop teaching and presentation skills
Dedicated time scheduled for teaching activity
60:40 split between medical education and clinical work
High degree of autonomy in the way that teaching is designed and delivered
Opportunity to get involved with high fidelity medical simulation training
Involvement in supporting our digital media team in developing new medical education learning content
Undertake a fully funded PGCert in Medical Education
15 days study leave (+15 days for PGCert)
Study budget

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Frquently Asked Questions

Are there any on-call duties attached to this post?
This post does not have any on-call duties attached to it.
Am I able to do my clinical work in any speciality?
We are very flexible in regards to organising clinical placements. We have links to all departments within the hospital and are usually able to accommodate everyone’s preferences.
How do teaching fellows get involved with the digital media team?
Teaching fellows work closely with the media team and their involvement is actively encouraged. They contribute to the production of medical education learning content. Each year, teaching fellows are encouraged to come up with a media project and the digital media team work with the fellows to design new resources for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Do teaching fellows get involved with simulation training?
Although we have dedicated simulation fellows, clinical teaching fellows are also expected to offer additional support to the simulation faculty to enable them to provide a high-quality simulation experience.

OUR PEOPLE, THEIR INSIGHTS - DR JAMIE BIGGS

Dr Jamie Biggs talks about his experiences as clinical teaching fellow at The Dudley Group.

DR HANNAH TATTERSALL - CLINICAL TEACHING FELLOW from The Dudley Group answers our questions

Q1. Apart from teaching, what else do you do in the Trust as a CTF?
I am interested in pursuing a career in general surgery, so I spend two days a week as a supernumerary senior house officer with the Upper GI team.

My two days a week are mainly spent in theatres and outpatient clinics. I help on the surgical wards looking after inpatients and have also contributed to the emergency surgical take.

Q2. Who do you work with?
I work within a firm-based structure, which includes all grades from FY1s to consultant surgeons. I interact with a multidisciplinary team whilst on the wards and within theatres. Interacting with people from different roles and backgrounds is something I really enjoy about working in the NHS.

Q3. What do you like about your clinical role at the Trust?
I have found people to be really friendly and approachable, which has made me feel comfortable within my role. Seniors are supportive and always around to ask for advice.

Q4. What is your favourite part of the clinical job?
Seeing patients and creating a rapport with them, whether this be in clinic, on the ward or just before their operation. Being a doctor is a privilege and I feel a great sense of satisfaction from working alongside patients. I think being able to diagnose and get someone the right treatment is an amazing feeling.

Q5. What is the most challenging part of your clinical job?
Only being clinical on two days does have its challenges. The main one being that I have to make sure that I get all of my patient/clinic admin done on my clinical days, as I am unable to do this on teaching days.

PHIL WALMSLEY - CONSULTANT ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON from NHS Fife says,

“Clinical teaching is exceptionally rewarding, and the opportunity to take up a post that allows you to concentrate on it can be beneficial, both professionally and personally. Over recent years the number of posts has expanded rapidly, but they vary in quality and opportunity. This variation lets candidates find a post that suits their needs.

The majority of posts will have a formal teaching commitment. But what proportion of your work this will be will differ, as will post length, staff levels, environment, clinical involvement, and involvement in developing teaching material for university courses.

Before applying for a fellowship, it’s worth contacting those who’ve completed it to get a clearer understanding of what it entails. To make an informed choice, you need to establish why you want to undertake the post.

Things to consider include the stage you are at in your career, the length of the post, and how it fits into your career plan. You should also think about how you want to develop your skills as a clinical teacher, the availability of mentoring during the post, and what access is available to a formal teaching qualification.

If you can, avoid posts with a heavy clinical or on-call commitment and those with supervisors who have no clear interest in teaching. You should also be wary of posts without a structured teaching programme and those which are essentially ill-defined research posts, unless you are planning full time educational research.”