Every doctor an educator?

Abstract

Introduction

The education of the future health care workforce is fundamental to ensuring safe, effective, and inclusive patient care. Despite this there has been chronic underinvestment in health care education and, even though there is an increased need for educators, the true number of medical educators has been in relative decline for over a decade.

Purpose

In this paper, we focus on the role of doctors as medical educators. We reflect on the culture in which medical education and training are delivered, the challenges faced, and their origins and sustaining factors. We propose a re-framing of this culture by applying Maslow’s principles of the hierarchy of needs to medical educators, not only as individuals but as a specialist group and to the system in which this group works, to instigate actionable change and promote self-actualization for medical educators.

Discussion

Promoting and supporting the work of doctors who are educators is critically important. Despite financial investment in some practice areas, overall funding for and the number of medical educators continues to decline. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) schemes such as those offered by specialised medical education associations are welcomed, but without time, funding and a supportive culture from key stakeholders, medical educators cannot thrive and reach their potential.

Conclusion

We need to revolutionise the culture in which medical education is practised, where medical educators are valued and commensurately rewarded as a diverse group of specialists who have an essential role in training the health care workforce to support the delivery of excellent, inclusive health care for patients. By reimagining the challenges faced as a hierarchy we show that until the fundamental needs of value, funding and time are realised, it will remain challenging to instigate the essential change that is needed.

Keywords:

• Teaching and Learning
• continuing medical education
• staff development
• medical profession
• roles of teacher
• career choice
• medical educators

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was not required for this manuscript, as this paper is based upon the literature and no human subjects were involved.

Author contributions

We confirm that this manuscript is original, has not been published before and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere. S.A. was responsible for the conception of this paper and after initial discussions with R.K.M. and C.M., S.A. produced the first draft of the paper. S.A., R.K.M., C.D., L.P., and C.M. all worked collaboratively to substantially edit and critically revise the paper. All authors have approved the final submitted version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no declarations of interest to report.

Additional information

Funding

This paper did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Sarah Allsop

Sarah Allsop is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Bristol, UK. She was the Co-Chair of the Women in Academic Medicine Committee at the British Medical Association (BMA) 2020–22.

Robert K. McKinley

Robert K McKinley is a retired GP and an Emeritus Professor of Education in General Practice at Keele Medical School, UK. He is a member of the British Medical Association's Medical Academic Staff Committee.

Christine Douglass

Christine Douglass is a Visiting Professor at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. She is Chair of the BMA Patient Liaison Group, non-voting member BMA Council, Co Equalities Champion BMA Medical Academic Staff Committee, and Member Interim Measures Panel BMA. CD is the director and shareholder of Alta Stet, a consultancy company, and a shareholder of Traq 21, an IT services company, unrelated to the topic of this paper.

Lindsey Pope

Lindsey Pope is a Professor of Medical Education at the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing at the University of Glasgow. She is a member of the British Medical Association's Medical Academic Staff Committee.

Colin Macdougall

Colin Macdougall is the Head of Medical Education at Warwick Medical School, UK. He is a member of the British Medical Association's Medical Academic Staff Committee.