Last year, Prof. Helen Bilton (PGCert Healthcare Education Director, University of Reading) was awarded around £34,000 grant from the Joint Academic Board (JAB), which is managed by both the University of Reading and the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBFT). The grant is for a three-year study, titled ‘Multi professional Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Education – Creating Teaching and Learning Materials and Measuring Impact’ (2020-2022). There are two aspects to this grant: creating video materials to use within the Programme and to measure the impact of the Programme on the healthcare professionals development as educators. Most Health Trusts have some form of further training for those who wish to specialise as educators in the health sector. However, our programme is a unique venture where a University Education Department and a Hospital together are teaching healthcare professionals about teaching and learning, and not just medical personnel.
So far, the impact part of the project has been going well. Specifically, the students on Prof. Bilton’s PGCert Healthcare Education programme have completed the first survey indicating their knowledge, skills and understanding in terms of being an educator in healthcare. Feedback concerning the actual programme has been very positive, particularly the unique multidisciplinary nature of it. The programme has practice educators, F3 Doctors, Clinical Practice Nurses, Consultants, GPs, Advanced specialists, Clinical leads covering a range of disciplines for example oncology, gynaecology, rheumatology, anaesthesiology, midwifery, intensive care and allied health professions.
All the supporting teaching materials in the form of videos taken at the Royal Berkshire Hospital have been completed. These videos highlight aspects of good teaching, such as a simulation and debrief, a tutorial concerning the throat, roundtable discussions about good teaching and learning. These materials are being used in the taught sessions to support learning and understanding about education within the healthcare setting.
You can find more about Prof. Bilton’s research interests here. She tweets at @DrHelenBilton.
