Recognition of Trainers was introduced by the GMC in 2012 and requires that all medical trainers performing one of four ‘named’ roles go through a process of training, development and appraisal for their training role. It also requires Health Boards, Deaneries and Medical Schools to recognise and support those performing these roles.
Q2 Am I a named trainer?
‘Named trainers’ are those trainers performing one of four roles identified by the GMC:
- Postgraduate Educational Supervisors
- Postgraduate Clinical Supervisors
- Undergraduate Leads ‘responsible for overseeing student's trajectories of learning and educational progress’
- Undergraduate Leads responsible ‘for coordinating the training of students’ in Health Boards
Q3 I teach both undergraduate students and postgraduate trainees. Do I need to be recognised twice?
Yes, once by the Deanery and once by the Medical School but a process will be in place so that you will only need to provide evidence once.
Q4 What mandatory training must I do?
There are only two mandatory training elements included in the Scottish Trainer Framework. These are Equality and Diversity training and an induction to your trainer role(s). SCOTS courses undertaken in the past will still be acceptable as evidence of induction for postgraduate trainers, as will the new FDA introductory course or a similar course provided by your Royal College. Undergraduate teachers will receive information from the Medical School about how to meet this requirement.
Q5 What other evidence do I need to supply, and which courses can I count?
In addition to the two mandatory training elements, you will need to provide evidence of your development across a framework defined by the GMC. Named Clinical Supervisors will be expected to supply evidence in areas 1-4 plus 7, whist all other named trainers will need to provide evidence in all areas. Every trainer will have a unique set of past experiences and an individual approach to professional development so the system has been designed to capture a wide range of evidence,
which may include attendance at training or completion of online modules (e.g. STAR), but may also include a range of other sources of evidence. It is unlikely that a single course will cover all aspects of the framework and it is expected that trainers will provide multiple sources of evidence.
Q6 What are the GMC framework areas?
- Ensuring safe and effective patient care through training
- Establishing and maintaining and environment for learning
- Teaching and facilitating learning
- Enhanced learning through assessment
- Supporting and monitoring educational progress
- Guiding personal and professional development
- Continuing professional development as an educator
Clinical Supervisors will only need to provide evidence in five areas; 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7. All other named trainers will need to provide evidence in every category
Q8 How do I become recognised?
A list of doctors in named roles has been compiled by the Medical School, NES and NHS Tayside’s Medical Education Directorate. The recognition process will be built into your annual appraisal and you will need to have completed any mandatory training and provided evidence in the relevant framework areas. Additionally, you will be asked to confirm that you have time in your job plan for your training role. At appraisal, you will discuss the evidence with your appraiser and a declaration of your ‘readiness for recognition’ will be made to NES and/or the Medical School. Your supporting information will not be routinely made available to anyone but your
appraiser, but you may be contacted by NES or the Medical School and asked to supply it as part of their decision making / quality management processes.
Q9 How often do I need to go through this recognition process?
After your initial recognition, you will be expected to provide ongoing evidence of your development mapped against the relevant areas of the GMC Framework. This should be discussed at your annual appraisal, but you will only need to go through the recognition process every five years, linked with your revalidation cycle.
Q10 Will there be any time allocated in my job plan?
The GMC have been very clear that recognised trainers must have dedicated time in their job plans. Across Scotland, a minimum tariff of 1hr/trainee supervised/week has been agreed and this will be honoured by the Boards. However, this does not represent ‘new’ time – it is anticipated that those with existing SPAs in their job plan will have some of these specifically allocated for teaching and training and that SPA time will be reallocated from those who no longer wish to perform a training role to those currently on 9:1 contracts who wish to become recognised trainers.
Q11 How are revalidation and trainer recognition linked?
Anyone with teaching and training in their job plan will be expected to provide evidence of their development in this role as part of the revalidation process. In time, the GMC hopes to have statutory powers to formally approve trainers and to maintain a list of approved trainers.
Q12 Is there a timeframe for meeting the recognition criteria?
If you are performing a named role you must have completed any mandatory training and provided evidence in all relevant framework areas by July 2016 .After this date, you will no longer be able to hold a named trainer role if you have not met the criteria for recognition.
Q13 How do I book training?
The Scottish Trainer Framework website displays all of the training provided by NES or the Medical Schools in Scotland. You can view a list or search under the Framework areas you need to develop in.
Q14 What counts as evidence?
Guidance about the types of evidence you might wish to supply is available on the Scottish Trainer Framework website
Q15 Can I apply for funding and study leave for attending training. If so where can I
apply?
Training for your trainer role is considered as part of your continuing professional development and as such are subject to the usual methods of study leave and
reimbursement.
Q16 What is the GMC definition of a Named Clinical Supervisor?
“A named clinical supervisor is a trainer who is responsible for overseeing a specified trainee’s clinical work throughout a placement in a clinical or medical environment and is appropriately trained to do so. He or she will provide constructive feedback during that placement. He or she will lead on providing a review of the trainee’s clinical or medical practice throughout the placement that will contribute to the educational supervisor’s report on whether the trainee should progress to the next stage of their training”.
This is different from a supervising clinician, who may supervise individual episodes of care or perform workplace-based assessments but will have no longitudinal responsibility for managing the trainee’s placement experience. Supervising clinicians do not require recognition under current GMC guidance.
Q17 What is the GMC definition of an Educational Supervisor?
“A named educational supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overall supervision and management of a trainee’s trajectory of learning and educational progress during a placement or series of placements. Every trainee must have a named educational supervisor. The educational supervisor helps the trainee to plan their training and achieve agreed learning outcomes. He or she is responsible for the educational agreement and for bringing together all relevant evidence to form a summative judgement at the end of the placement or series of placements.”