Becoming a Clinical Teaching Fellow

---

Many Clinical Teaching Fellows use their fellowship year to pursue a formal qualification in medical education, such as a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) or Integrated Foundations of Medical Education (IFME).

These qualifications provide valuable grounding in educational theory, curriculum design, assessment, and feedback, helping fellows develop the skills required to deliver high-quality teaching. They are also increasingly expected for doctors pursuing ongoing roles in medical education and can strengthen academic and leadership portfolios. 

Applications for these programmes typically open early in the year, so it’s worth keeping an eye out during your F2 year to avoid missing key deadlines.

CTFs are well placed to identify and address gaps in teaching. This may include developing new sessions, structured programmes, simulation scenarios, or learning resources.

When developing educational projects, consider:

• Use recognised standards (e.g. GMC Promoting Excellence) to benchmark your teaching
• Take a QI approach (e.g. PDSA cycles) with clear aims and measurable outcomes
• Use feedback from learners and faculty to identify genuine gaps
• Map teaching to curriculum outcomes (e.g. Foundation Programme capabilities, MLA content map)
• Use evidence-based methods (e.g. AMEE Guides) to inform design
• For simulation, align with ASPiH standards to ensure quality and governance
• Evaluate impact (feedback, attendance, confidence)
• Plan dissemination (posters, conferences, publications)

Well-designed projects strengthen both local teaching and your portfolio in leadership, education, and research.

Medical education is a rapidly growing field with strong opportunities for fellows to contribute academically. Projects arising from teaching, curriculum design, or simulation can often be developed into posters, presentations, or peer-reviewed publications.

Practical tips for getting started:

• Treat your teaching as a research opportunity — build evaluation into your sessions from the start (pre/post feedback, confidence scores, outcomes)
• Seek appropriate approvals early (e.g. local education/QI approval vs formal ethics), especially if you plan to publish
• Use your PGCert/University links — many programmes offer academic supervision, methodological support, and sometimes cover publication fees (varies by institution)
• Start small and feasible — single-centre projects with clear aims are more likely to succeed during a fellowship year
• Collaborate early — working with other fellows, consultants, or education teams improves quality and shareability
• Aim to disseminate — submit to conferences and consider journals like Medical Teacher or BMC Medical Education
• Keep good records — collect data, feedback, and reflections as you go; this makes writing up much easier later

Teaching innovations, simulation programmes, curriculum development projects, and educational research can frequently be developed into posters or oral presentations.

CATALYST will provide opportunities for members to submit abstracts of their educational work for internal review and selection. Selected projects may be invited for presentation at CATALYST events, with opportunities for recognition and prizes. 

Fellows are also encouraged to present their work at national and international medical education conferences such as AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe), TASME (The Association for the Study of Medical Education), ASME Annual Scientific Meeting, and IAMSE (International Association of Medical Science Educators). 

Presenting work at these meetings provides valuable experience in educational scholarship and allows fellows to contribute to the wider medical education community.