Category: Research Projects

Building Community: Spotlight on the Incubator for Clinical Education Research

Posted on by sarah.allsop

This weeks BMERG blog is a spotlight on the Incubator for Clinical Educator Research (ClinEdR). Hosted by the University of Newcastle, the Incubator is an NIHR initiative launched in 2020 to develop ClinEdR as an academic field.

Image (c) UX Indonesia on Unsplash

What is the Incubator?

The mission and aim of the ClinEdR Incubator is to support and promote careers in clinical education research through building a multi-professional community of practice. It extends across all health professions and aims to bring people together to develop their ideas, build collaborations and provide a network of developing experience in the field.

What is Clinical Education Research?

This is one of the most fundamental questions and tends to have a myriad of different definitions and terms including clinical, medical, and healthcare professionals education research to name just a few. Often the word ‘clinical’ can drive the idea that this sort of research must have a direct impact in clinical practice and thus can seem to exclude certain areas of research in education.

The team at the Incubator have tried to broaden this idea, embracing all sorts of different research that can and does have an impact on societal health needs by “enhancing the education, training and development of health and social care practitioners, and the organisations within which they work and learn“. They highlight a number of different areas in which individuals and teams may be undertaking clinical education research such as:

  • Pedagogical research
  • Planning and design of educational programmes
  • Regulation processes
  • Organisation context of learning, such as learning environments and workforce inclusivity
  • Learner experience and careers

They also consider that this whilst this type of research may have a direct clinical impact for patients it may achieve impact in other ways such as benefiting clinicians in their training, influencing health and education systems and through challenging and developing standards.

How can the Incubator help those who want to engage in Clinical Education Research?

The incubator is a fantastic place to start regardless of where you are in your ClinEdR journey. It offers a variety of resource and links via it’s website such as:

So why not take a look at their resources, find out who works in ClinEdR in your area and sign up to be part of the growing Incubator network!

You can learn more about the Incubator at clinicaleducationresearch.org/ on Twitter/X at @ClinEdResearch or email the team at clinical.education.incubator@newcastle.ac.uk

Hot Topics: The ELMER project

Posted on by sarah.allsop

This week’s blog is from Dr David Hettle, hot off the recent announcement of winning the ASME/GMC Excellent Medical Education Award (postgraduate category). David tells us a bit more about the planned research project with colleagues across the country, exploring the experiences of doctors undertaking an entry-level medical education roles (ELMERs).

Lisa Jayne Collage
Image from ASME Awards page

Lisa-Jayne Edwards (University of Warwick), Claire Stocker (Aston University), Julie Browne (Cardiff University), Cara Bezzina (University of Glasgow), David Hettle (University of Bristol)

Introduction

More and more doctors take time out of clinical training, with many choosing to undertake teaching posts during years out, especially ‘F3 years’: time out of training after your initial standardised two years post-graduation1, the ‘Foundation Programme’. These teaching posts have a variety of names including Clinical Teaching Fellows (as they are locally in Bristol), Teaching Fellows, and Education Fellows.

With the increasing need for educators, these posts host a crucial place for doctors developing interest, skills and expertise in medical education as they progress in clinical and educational training. Therefore, there is need to understand the landscape of educational practice which these positions deliver and support the development of these current educators and future educational leaders.

Previous work reviewed the current landscape of entry-level education posts across the UK, finding over 400 positions per year in the UK in 20232, up from 77 in 20083. Though the numbers of these posts have increased, due to the variety of different titles used and the often transience of the doctors in these positions, research into posts is challenging. Importantly this means research into the quality of these posts remains under-studied.

Why does this matter?

This research holds great opportunity to really find out how early-career educators can be supported. Currently, there seems to be wide variation in the quality of posts, with some offering financial support for educational accreditation, others designated time to teach and develop skills in specific aspects of education.

On the flip side, they are others without any additional time, support or links to educational teams offered, yet still carrying responsibility for others’ learning. This work hopes to facilitate more information and some degree of quality control for early-career educational roles as occurs with other medical specialties, for example through their colleges and specialty societies.

The ELMER study

Building on our work undertaken alongside the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME), this new project through the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) seeks to explore the perspectives of current early-career education post-holders. We will investigate how different role qualities and opportunities impact their experience within medical education and, as a result, doctors’ inclination to pursue future teaching and training responsibilities once they move on from these posts (often back into clinical training).

To encompass all similar roles, our research team has chosen to use the term ‘Entry-Level Medical Education Role’ or ELMER as an individual’s first formal role in medical education.

We will use these doctors’ experience in their ELMERs to identify factors which promote formal teaching and increased educational activity and development. We have positioned the study in a pragmatic paradigm, focusing on the interaction between individuals (i.e. ELMER post-holders) and their environment, emphasising experiential research, and actionable knowledge. The study will use a mixed methods approach using a survey, followed by interviews, inviting any current ELMER post-holders to take part. Qualitative data will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, developing and telling the story of current ELMER post-holders.

Alongside the prior review of ELMER posts across the UK, the primary objective of this integral work is to offer insights that can inform policy decisions on how ELMER roles can support doctors in training to become future trainers, assessors, and leaders in medical education.

Why is this work so important to me?

As someone who has been a CTF in the past, but having finished that formal role wondered ‘where next?’, this work adds to the evidence for the development of a more formalised medical education career pathway, supporting educators of the future, alongside their clinical training. The current lack of such a pathway risks losing excellent educators after their ELMER posts, a risk which the field of medical education should not leave to chance.

Watch out for details of how to be involved soon if you are an early-career educator, ‘ELMER’ – we’d love to hear your experience! Drop me an email at david.hettle@bristol.ac.uk if you want to hear any more before then.

References

  1. Church HR, Agius SJ. ‘The F3 phenomenon: Early-career training breaks in medical training. A scoping review’, Med Educ 2021; 55(9): 1033-46.
  2. Hettle D, Edwards LJ, McCormack R, et al. (2023, Dec 4-5). A UK-wide review of Entry-Level Medical Education Roles (ELMERs) [Poster presentation]. Developing Excellence in Medical Education, Manchester, UK.  https://www.demec.org.uk/category/demec-2023/
  3. Wilson S, Denison AR, McKenzie H. A survey of clinical teaching fellowships in UK medical schools. Med Educ 2008; 42(2): 170-5.

Building Community: Bristol Medical School Qualitative Research Forum

Posted on by sarah.allsop

This blog focuses on the Qualitative Research Forum (QRF) led by Sabi Redwood, Jo Kesten and Heather Brant (L-R) from the Social Sciences and Health Team from Bristol Medical School. This informal group offers friendly support for anyone using qualitative methodology working in health research.

Sabi Redwood
Jo Kesten
Heather Brant
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

Starting to research in the qualitative space can be a challenge for healthcare educators, as many of us have come from an environment more heavily weighted in qualitative research training. The QRF serves as an opportunity for individuals to discuss specific methodological issues or work-in-progress with peers. The forum aims to be a supportive and friendly environment for individuals to present their work and obtain feedback. It also provides an email network as a resource for members to connect with each other.

The lunchtime meetings are relaxed and usually have a methodological slant. They provide an opportunity to discuss common issues and challenges in the application of qualitative methods and health-related research concepts, to develop collaboration and to foster new ideas. Examples of previous topics for discussion include: online data collection, data sharing, working with large qualitative datasets, process evaluation and rapid qualitative research.

The current conveners of the forum are Sabi Redwood, Jo Kesten and Heather Brant. Please contact us if you would like to talk to the group. If you wish to join the QRF, please contact Sabi Redwood. The email address for current members of the Qualitative Research Forum mailing list is grp-phs-qrf@groups.bristol.ac.uk. Resources for members can be found in the UoB QRF SharePoint site (UoB staff and PGR only).

The QRF meets between 12.30-13.30 once every two months, with the day of the week alternating to account for part time staff/students. More information and dates can be found on the QRF website.

Hot topics: Students as Researchers

Posted on by sarah.allsop

In the latest ‘hot topic’ blog, BMERG introduces one of our Bristol second year medical students, Rahul Kota. Rahul talks about their experience of being involved with research as an undergraduate, including some great top tips for getting started.

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Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Being involved in research is something that the modern medical careers have made feel almost compulsory for career progression and is often sold to students as something they ‘have to do’ to get to where they want to be. I’m here to tell you otherwise. Whilst undertaking research for your future career may be important, the skills and experience you gain in the process are just as valuable in the present.

My research journey started right at the start of medical school, during my first year in 2021. I had an idea that I wanted to be a surgeon before I came to medical school and knew that if I wanted to have a competitive surgical career application one day, I would need to get extra experience. I looked to find a surgeon who would allow me to come to theatre and shadow them.

Going in with the attitude of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”, I found the email of Professor Gianni Angelini and emailed him asking if I could shadow him in theatre. I was thrilled when the reply came back as a ‘yes’. If you ask me now why I emailed Prof. Angelini, he was a cardiac surgeon, a career which I find incredibly inspiring and he also had a very impressive description of what he had done in the past online; probably not as important was that he came up on the first page of the ‘Bristol Our People’ website so I didn’t have to look very far.

During my first day shadowing Prof. Angelini, I was inspired by his work and the magic of cardiac surgery; and perhaps most importantly that day, I met Prof’s Angelini’s registrar. Mr Daniel Fudulu is single-handily responsible for inspiring me to start researching; without him, I would not be in the position I am in today.

It was quite lucky how my research journey started. I had been shadowing the team for about 3 months, and one day a researcher who worked with Daniel was in theatre as well, and I got talking to him about how I was keen to do some research. So, we asked if there were any projects I could help with and Daniel suggested I should attend their research group. Once I joined the research group, involvement in a project soon followed. I was supported to research and write my first paper.

I find research quite enjoyable due to its collaborative nature – it is a team sport in a way; you are interacting with many different people from many different specialities, and I like the team spirit and comradery in uniting to achieve a common goal. I also really enjoyed actually writing the paper. It may sound an odd thing to find enjoyable, but for me it as quite satisfying and rewarding to write a paper and then step back and look at the completed product. It really gives a strong sense of achievement.

It is also amazing to be able to say you have contributed to the advancement of medicine. I enjoy reading about the history of medicine and where we have come from, and it is those previous researchers who have been able to advance medicine to where it is today, so to say that I have also contributed to advancements in medicine is rewarding and fulfilling.

Personally, whether correct or not; I do also think research is a marker of success in a career. I would like to do a PhD or an MD one day and aspire to hopefully become a professor in my chosen field. Research is a core part of that dream and journey, so I can one day be knowledgeable enough to be seen as a leader in my chosen field.

My publishing journey did have ups and downs, but I had an excellent mentor in Mr Daniel Fudulu. The first journal we submitted to returned a rejection, so we had to rethink our target. I had never been involved in research and publishing before, so I was confused as to why our paper had been rejected. Daniel helped to explain that it was very rare that a paper gets accepted the first time and we should stay calm and think of another target. This advice is something which will stick with me, and made me feel that it was a team effort to get the paper published. When we got the paper published in Frontiers in Surgery, this was an incredibly proud moment, the culmination of over a year of hard work. I cannot overstate Daniel’s role in supporting me getting the paper published; I think it would have been a very different experience without his support. 

Research can be quite time-consuming, so as a student, balancing it with my studies is very important. There is a misconception that medical students do not have any free time, but in truth, there is free time, it is just how you decide to use it. I personally block out a few hours in a week to concentrate on research, maybe on a weekend or on a weekday after I have finished my uni work; and I find that this has been very effective for me. I am also lucky to have an incredible support network around me in terms of my family, friends and mentors.

Rahul’s top tips for getting involved in research as a student:

  1. Find a mentor: it is essential to find a mentor who will support you and understand your career goal – finding the right person can be transformative in promoting your research journey.
  2. Be proactive: Nobody told me how to get research or how to do it, you have to seek opportunities out yourself and make the most of them.
  3. Don’t be scared of rejection: Often nothing happens the first time, so don’t be scared if a paper gets rejected or a consultant has no research for you; dust yourself off and pick yourself back up and carry on.
  4. Enjoy the journey: Share your wins and losses with your peers, friends and family, because they can be people to take stress off your shoulders or people to celebrate with, they are just as excited to be on this journey as you are.

You can read Rahul’s paper here:

Kota R, Gemelli M, Dimagli A, Suleiman S, Moscarelli M, Dong T, Angelini GD and Fudulu DP (2023) Patterns of cytokine release and association with new onset of post-cardiac surgery atrial fibrillation. Front. Surg. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2023.1205396

An ABCDE to Getting Started with Medical Education Research

Posted on by sarah.allsop
Sarah Allsop

In this blog Sarah Allsop, a Senior Lecturer at Bristol Medical School, shares a short 5-point top tip guide to getting started in medical education research.

Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash

It was great today to be able to extend a warm welcome to the new intake of Clinical Teaching Fellows (CTFs) working across the NHS Trusts linked to the University of Bristol Medical School, and introduce them to the work of BMERG.

CTFs are not only fantastic teachers and innovators, but also undertake some amazing medical education research projects. Bristol’s recent posters and oral presentations at both AoME and ASME is testament to this, with AMEE still to come at the end of August.

For new CTFs, and in fact anyone starting out undertaking research projects in education, this may be a new task and one which can seem quite daunting. Developing skills in educational research is a journey.

Here is a short 5-point ABCDE guide of top tips for getting started in Education Research – a place to start when you are not sure where to start.

A is for Aim: What are you trying to achieve? What problem are you trying to solve? What is the VALUE of your project? All research projects should start with an aim. Having a clear aim will then help to guide your next steps, study design and methods.

B is for Blueprint: How are you going to blueprint / plan your study? What research paradigm will you use? How will you use educational THEORY to aid the design of your project? What methodology aligns with your research question(s)? What do you need to prepare for your ethical review? Planning your project carefully and considering the alignment of the different elements of your study will ultimately lead to a better quality research project.

C is for Collaborate: Can you work collaboratively to build a stronger, more powerful project? Are there already projects in motion that you can join or build on? How can you work and support each other better? What interdisciplinary angles might be possible? We are stronger together. Talk to your peers and seniors about research projects. You may have ideas of your own that you wish to progress and that is fine, but if these align with the ideas of others, or you can build on previous studies, or try innovations across multiple sites or cohorts, this will improve the POWER and transferability of your work.

D is for Disseminate: How would you like to present or publish your work? Do you want to attend an international medical education or discipline specific conference or publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Would you like to be able to showcase your work across the wider local medical school community? One of the key principle aims of all research is to further knowledge and this means that we need to share our findings. Think about your REACH and influence – where, when and how you might like to share your educational research project results.

E is for Endpoint: What is the potential IMPACT of your study? Who might benefit from learning about your results? What are your personal goals? It may sound counter-intuitive to think about the end-point at the start of your journey, but this will help you to plan and develop a timeline. You will always have finite time to work on a particular project and so understanding your goals and being mindful about what is possible will help you to create the deadlines you need to keep your project on track.

Over the coming months BMERG will be sharing more top tips on undertaking educational research, as well as offering events such as journal clubs, writing groups and more. Subscribe to the blog to get all the latest BMERG news direct to your inbox.

Read more about Bristol conference work this summer at AoME 2023 and ASME 2023

Publishing in Medical Education: Matching

Posted on by sarah.allsop
Sarah Allsop

In this blog, Sarah Allsop discusses the challenge of navigating how to choose and ‘match’ with your perfect publisher.

Photo by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash

Thinking about how, when and where you are going to publish and disseminate the findings of your medical education research is an important step in your research journey. In fact, it should probably be a really early step, as consideration for how you are going to share your work can influence the type of journal or publisher that you look for.

Ask yourself right from the start,

  • What is the reach of this work, what audience am I trying to communicate with?
  • What is the value of this work, who will benefit from seeing the results and how can I make this most accessible to my target group?
  • What do I want the impact of my work to be, who am I hoping to influence?

By considering these types of questions, it can help you to consider where you want to publish your work. You can then try to match this with the aims and objectives of selected medical education journals.

Always cross-check the aims and author guidelines of your chosen journal to check the scope matches with your manuscripts content, design and emphasis

TOP TIP

The challenge will be that if you don’t match your work to the journal or publisher, this can be a swift road to rejection – and this is hard. It doesn’t however mean that your work is not good enough to be published. In fact a rejection at a very early stage is far more likely simply to mean that you have not matched the scope of the journal. Don’t be disheartened, as there is a place for all good work to be shared.

One of the things that can really help you when thinking about how to navigate the publishing journey is to make a list of your top five journals or publications where you would most like to publish your work. To start with do this really spontaneously and go for what you really want.

Then take a step back and carefully consider and critique these choices. Does my work match the scope of this journal? Is my work likely to be written up or is written up in the style that suits the readership of the journal? Is my work realistic for this publisher? You need to be honest – for example, if a particular journal states in its aims that it only publishes international collaborative work, if you have undertaken a small single-centre study, this is unlikely to get published in that particular journal.

Revisit your list and see if there are any journals that don’t match the work. Make sure you still have 3-5 options, so that you know from the start when your next submission will be if you get rejected from the first, it not only saves time but reminds you that the process might include rejection and that’s ok.

Next take a look at the manuscript types on offer from each of the journals on your list. These can usually be found in the ‘Author Guidelines’ section. It will describe in details all of the manuscript types, which are commissioned, which are accessible to all authors. It will also highlight formatting and referencing requirements, word lengths and open access agreements. Check again that your work matches closely to one of the manuscript types listed. If it does great, if not do you need to rethink your journal list.

Hopefully, by the end of this second step you have a list of journals that firstly, publish the type of manuscript you are writing to an audience you want to reach, and secondly you now know the word count, style and formatting you need to use to move forward.

Good luck with your writing and watch out for more blogs on publishing coming soon.

You may find the list of journals written by Olle ten Cate shared in our blog on journal lists useful: BMERG Blog: Publishing in Medical Education: List of Journals.

Publishing in Medical Education: List of Journals

Posted on by sarah.allsop
Sarah Allsop

 

This blog is shared by Sarah Allsop as a place to start for those wanting to find out about where to publish medical education innovation and research.

  

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Whether you have been working on a fantastic educational innovation or have undertaking a great piece of education research, the likelihood is you will want to share this with the wider medical education community. But, where so you publish it and how do you find out which journals publish medical education research?

Fortunately, Professor Doctor Olle ten Cate has produced an open access list of journals where it is possible to publish medical education research. Version 4 of this list (released in August 2022) comes complete with links to the journal websites and includes those related not only to medical education, but across the health professions and those written in languages other than English.

Access this really helpful list at: JOURNAL OPTIONS TO PUBLISH HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION

To cite this dataset: ten Cate, Olle (2022), “JOURNAL OPTIONS TO PUBLISH HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION ARTICLES”, University Medical Centre Utrecht, V1, doi: 10.17632/rf29ym3bpw.1