The following are notes from the educator workshop on 6th November 2024.
The workshops, delivered by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), are part of a monthly series that contributes to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) time and are conducted remotely online. Today's session focused on near-peer teaching and was attended by GP tutors.
Near-peer teaching is a form of peer-assisted learning where senior students or trainee doctors teach junior students one or two years ahead in their training. This session provided an overview of the near-peer teaching programme, a specific student-selected component involving a four- to six-week placement in general practice. During this placement, students teach their peers. For example, year 5 students teach year 3 students.
Several key issues and questions were explored during the workshop.
Near-peer teaching can stimulate interest in medical education, as it is part of the year medical professionalism requirements outlined in the General Medical Council's (GMC) Good Medical Practice.
However, there are concerns about the credibility of year five students teaching without formal training, especially since they have limited time due to their existing placements. Despite these concerns, students can be valuable educators, mainly if they have recently completed assessments like OSCE exams.
Teaching is often considered one of the most effective ways to learn, reinforcing knowledge and promoting a culture of learning and teaching. Year five students receive training in teaching as part of the programme, which includes observed teaching sessions that need to be signed off. These sessions can be integrated into the student-selected components.
Near-peer teaching not only encourages others to consider medical education as a career but also instils a professional commitment to teaching, a lifelong value for doctors.
Logistical challenges and concerns about clinical responsibility and supervision were explored. The student-selected component overcomes these by providing a structured programme of central teaching with teaching in general practice.
There is an opportunity for students to engage in interprofessional teaching. For example, teaching OT or HCA.
Other issues discussed
The workshop also addressed the importance of minimising complaints by obtaining consent, working in pairs, and gathering feedback. Some practices get written permission for student teaching.
When complaints arise, they are twofold: managing the complaint and providing feedback to the learner. The team plans to explore these issues further.