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Tips for working as a GP tutor

This new InnovAiT feature gives tips for those interested in starting a career that involves working with medical students. We'll be adding to this list over the following weeks. Although it is by no means comprehensive it aims to provide a guide to issues that are worthy of consideration.

1. Get your foot in the door! If you are interested in teaching medical students you should start by making contact with the local university medical school. Medical schools often have lists of registered GP tutors; find out how to get your name on the list and what training may be required. Usually other GPs who are already working as tutors can help put you in touch with the right people, or you could contact the administrative staff at the medical school directly (most contact details can be found on university websites).

2. Find out how you can get involved. One obvious option is to teach students within the practice environment, but many other options may also exist. These can include: delivering lectures or seminars, facilitating problem-based-learning tutor groups, teaching communication skills, acting as a personal supervisor, setting exam questions or acting as an examiner and interviewing for medical school admissions. The medical school will be able to advise you of the options available to you. It may be a good idea to start with a few “taster” sessions if this is possible.

3. Related to the above, put some thought into the pros and cons of having students at the practice vs. teaching at the university. Accommodating students can be very rewarding and stimulating for the practice but does require a significant amount of organization, “patient finding” for teaching and thus additional work for a number of practice staff. It may also require a spare room in the practice. On the other hand, teaching at the university is possible to do on a sessional basis and has less impact on other practice staff, but it will require you to travel to the university and the does not have the wider benefit of creating a learning environment in the practice.

4. Get to know other GP tutors. This becomes easier once you have accomplished tip 1 (above)! Talking with other tutors will give you an idea of what to expect from the sorts of activities you can get involved in, which will help you decide what suits you best.

5. It is important to establish the terms under which you will be paid. In some universities it is possible to work on a completely sessional basis with no fixed contract. In other cases there may be an Associate Tutor contract under which you are employed by the university. Some GPs ultimately take on more substantive academic posts as Lecturers or Professors in Primary Care, but usually this is not an early career move.

6. Consider the potential financial impact on your practice and discuss this with the partners if it seems likely to be relevant. If you are working full time it will be difficult to find the time for medical student tuition unless sessions are taken out from your clinical activities. It may be possible to use your pay to reimburse the practice (to cover locum costs), but sometimes the pay may not be sufficient for this making it difficult to find a partnership who would agree to such an arrangement. Obviously the situation is easier if you are working only part-time, but there may still be occasional difficulties if your teaching activities coincide with clinical commitments; careful time management is necessary.

7. It is a good idea to complement your work by learning more about education. The training required to undertake most teaching activities is a starting point for this, but it can be taken further. Many universities offer Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Clinical Education which can be undertaken part-time, with the option to extend this to a Diploma or Masters level. Some universities also offer these as distance learning courses.

8. Assist in teaching trainees on Vocational Training Schemes. If you do not have the opportunity to get involved in teaching medical students at present, but still want to get involved with education, there may be opportunities for you to assist in teaching trainees on Vocational Training Schemes. This can be started whilst still an AiT; there are many great advantages to peer-led teaching. Such activities can be continued post-qualification and could ultimately lead to roles such as becoming a Course Organiser!

9. Always highlight additional training. Make sure to include discussion of your involvement in medical education in your annual appraisal. Universities and other institutions with which you are involved will often provide additional training for educators; make use of this and highlight it when discussing development of your skills during appraisal.

10. These tips are not just for qualified GPs! Finally, these tips do not just apply to GPs who have qualified. If you are still in training you can get started now! Many medical schools are happy to accept GPs in training for a number of teaching activities (eg examining students, communication skills teaching) and when you are a trainee in a supernumerary post there is often more time available to attend the necessary training. Develop your interest further by getting involved with educating your peers on your Vocational Training Scheme. Make sure to record all such activities, and the impact they have on your development as a GP, in your e-portfolio.

If you would like to share your tips for AiTs or GP trainers, email them to innovait.editorialoffice@oxfordjournals.org with 'InnovAiT tips' in the subject line.