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Postgraduate Medical Education PGCert

Evidence meeting the General Medical Council’s criteria for the clinical and educational supervision of postgraduate trainees while also gaining accreditation with NHS England as a Clinical or Educational Supervisor.

Overview

Course length: 18 months - 5 years part-time
18 months- 5 years part-time
Start dates: February 2025
September 2025
February 2026
September 2026
Location: Edge Hill University
and Online study
Subject(s): Health and Social CareMedicine
Faculty: Health, Social Care and Medicine
Department: Medical School

This course takes a blended learning approach and has been designed to meet the needs of medical educators. It will enable you to meet the General Medical Council (GMC) standards for trainers and be recognised as a Clinical and Educational Supervisor.

The programme is suitable for consultants, higher speciality trainees and non-consultant career-grade doctors working within the NHS England North West region. It is specifically designed for those working in a hospital setting.

The course is accredited by Advance HE and by the Academy of Medical Educators. Students completing this course will be eligible to apply to Advance HE for Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and to the Academy of Medical Educators for Membership (MAcadMEd).

Course features

  • Professional accreditation

What you'll study

You will study three modules, the first two of which will provide you with an introduction to medical education in the clinical workplace and offer an in-depth exploration of clinical and educational supervision in the medical workplace.

For the third module, you will choose a specific theme from options including educational leadership, medical leadership, technology enhanced learning, management, teaching and learning, and mentoring and coaching.

Compulsory modules:

Expand all
Teaching and Learning in the Medical Workplace
Supporting the Postgraduate Learner in the Medical Workplace

One of:

Expand all
Developing Potential in Others
Delivering Teaching and Facilitating Learning Opportunities
Inclusivity in Clinical Education
Managing and Developing Medical Education
Medical Leadership
Mentoring and Coaching in Clinical Education
Promoting Professionalism and Ethics in Multidisciplinary Practice

For more information about each module, including the dates and times of module sessions, please see our Continuing Professional Development Modules for Health and Social Care Practitioners pages.

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

The programme primarily comprises substantial studying online via the University’s Virtual Learning Environment where you will find an array of specially-created learning materials to support each module and also a discussion board for active debate within each Learning Set. You will also have access to a vast range of electronic resources, including e-books and electronic journals, which can be accessed online.

The course also requires attendance at one full induction day in addition to a small number of half-day workshops for each module.

You can expect to receive your timetable at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day or evening of the week.

How you'll be assessed

You will be assessed through a variety of coursework assignments. These will include reflective case studies on actual practice, peer observation of teaching, and short seminar presentations.

Who will be teaching you

The course team consists of a mixture of academic staff and experienced medical educators from clinical practice. You can expect to have contact with both academic tutors and experienced clinicians throughout the course. The course team is highly experienced in designing and delivering postgraduate online learning for medical educators.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

You need to have a relevant degree, usually in medicine. You should be a hospital doctor, consultant, staff-grade and associate specialist (SAS) or higher speciality trainee (ST3 and above). Modules are open to suitably qualified clinicians across all specialities, however as places are limited, priority will be given to those nominated by Health Education England North West.

English language requirements

Students whose education is in a language other than English, will also need IELTS 6.5, with no individual section less than 6.0, being regarded as meeting the general English requirements for awards, or equivalent alternative English language qualifications for students who are already in employment in the UK and where English is not their first language.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course.

Please choose the application form for your preferred intake date and mode of study.

 

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Visit Edge Hill University

There’s plenty of opportunities to come take a look around campus. Attend one of our open days to see what life at Edge Hill University is all about.

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Facilities

Exterior of the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine building. The reflection of the building is on the surface of the lake with the lake reeds framing the building.

The Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine offers outstanding facilities for the education and training of health and social care professionals.

The contemporary teaching and learning resources include leading edge clinical skills facilities, an 860-seat lecture theatre, and a variety of teaching rooms and social learning spaces.

Where you'll study

Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Part-Time

£50 per credit

for the course

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Tuition fees

UK Part-Time

£51 per credit

for the course

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students joining postgraduate courses at Edge Hill University.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our EU student finance page for further details.

Your future career

Successful completion of this programme will enable you to critically analyse and explore the role of teaching and learning in the clinical context and make critical judgments within the medical workplace.

You will enhance your skills in teaching, assessment, appraisal, supervision and reflective practice, with the opportunity to review your own professional needs and to plan and undertake relevant and appropriate activities to meet those identified needs.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Download our course leaflet