Professional support for medical educators
The Academy of Medical Educators is the professional organisation operating nationally and internationally for all those involved in the education and training of students and practitioners in medicine. The term ‘medical educator’ is used to include educational supervisors and trainers of practitioners in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science. The premise on which the Academy operates is that defining and achieving higher standards in teaching of medical educators, educational supervisors and trainers leads directly to higher quality patient care, thus providing public benefit.
The Academy provides leadership, promotes standards and supports all those involved in the academic discipline of medical education. In 2009 it produced a set of Professional Standards for Medical Educators, which serve as a guide to curriculum development and provide a recognised framework so that those in education can demonstrate expertise and achievements in medical education through accreditation as a medical teacher to an agreed national standard.
The Academy's aims are to maintain and promulgate the Professional Standards for all those engaged in the teaching of students and practitioners in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, and to work to have its Professional Standards accepted and adopted nationally by the medical education community and within the formal educational and training curricular and qualification frameworks.
The Academy is working with course providers to accredit courses against the Professional Standards.
The Academy's Early Careers Working Group is active in addressing the concerns and issues affecting those starting on, or early in, their careers as medical educators. The Group has a programme which is investigating mentoring support schemes and the provision of career case studies. A project is ongoing looking at challenges and supportive systems to medical education career progression, in line with the Professional Standards, to develop effective policy for dissemination through the Academy. The project will involve conducting focus groups with early career medical educators from clinical, basic and social sciences backgrounds as well as semi structured telephone interviews with experienced leaders in Medical Education about their career histories and views of what a career in medical education should encompass.
The Academy recognises and rewards excellence in medical education. It awards Honorary Fellowship to exceptional individuals whose contributions are often internationally recognised and who have made a significant contribution to medical education. The President's Medal is awarded annually to an individual who has made an exceptional and sustained contribution to medical education and who will usually not have achieved recognition previously by other medical education organisations. This award is one of the highest conferred by the Academy.
The Academy is recognised by the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards as a specialist society and is able to support medical educators in their applications for Clinical Excellence Awards.
Last updated 5 January 2011