When I grow up I want to be a... Medical educator

Though many of you may be currently tackling the medical school admissions process, it is never too early to start casting an eye towards your future specialty choice. This is not only important to bring some light to the end of an awfully long tunnel, but also for pragmatic considerations as for a vast majority of specialties you need to plan early. Long gone are the days where a recently post-graduate, junior doctor could stick their hand up and enter a training program – in the current environment, there are hundreds of hopefuls every year vying for the 1-10 training spots nation-wide in each specialty.

Next in our ‘When I grow up’ series, we’re taking a look at the often marginalised medical education specialty. The ‘medical educator’ is typically not put through a College training pathway similar to other specialties, rather they generally become medical educators by applying through universities for education posts in medical school. Generally, these individuals will be more experienced clinicians that usually come from generalist backgrounds (i.e. GPs), however there are no restrictions as to who can become medical educators, it is simply defined by clinical experience.

Medical education is obviously an exceptionally important part of the medical field, as medical educators are directly responsible for educating the next generation of doctors. Unfortunately, across many medical schools there are complaints as to the quality and fairness/transparency of teaching and assessment methods, which do tend to depart quite significantly from standards observed in other courses. Thus, it is exceptionally important to encourage young students to consider being a part of medical education reform from an early stage – either as being involved as a medical educator in the future, or engaging to enhance the quality of teaching and assessment whilst in medical school.

Many universities also offer placements in medical education, which can be great to give you an insight as to what medical education is like, as well as an opportunity to develop important skills. Even though there is a specific career for medical educators, every clinician will at some point be required to teach medical students, and being able to do so adequately and with skill will be beneficial for everyone involved. Thus, it is really an important area to engage in whilst in medical school, whether that is explaining concepts to your colleagues, or providing mentorship for younger students.

Academic posts at a university can certainly be stressful, as there are quantitative targets that must be met in areas of research and teaching, and the bureaucracy of organisations such as these is often very suffocating. However, the obvious benefits in engaging in such a career is more reasonable work hours, relative job security, along with the opportunity to make extremely profound, positive impacts in the lives of hundreds of future doctors. The responsibilities of a medical educator are extremely high, as they have the power to encourage or discourage medical students along their training, and this influence can reverberate for years to come.

This was a very short introduction to the field of medical education, and the primary purpose was to just make you all aware that this is a career that does exist, and is one that is worth considering when you are in medical school. However, there is not the same impetus as the other specialties to start working your way towards the career whilst studying, as it is typically a career you can get into when you have had a number of years in the clinical world. Stay tuned for the next ‘When I grow up’ soon! 

Check out our GAMSAT To Med School Podcast for more interesting news, tips & tricks about the GAMSAT, applying to medical school, and life at med school.