This course helped me understand the complexities of medical education that we often take for granted

Firstly, can you describe your role(s) as a dentist since finishing the course and a brief summary of your career path up until starting on the PGCert in Medical Education?

I graduated from King's College London in 2019 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Following this, I completed my foundation training in London and spent three years doing Dental Core Training in Maxillofacial Surgery and Restorative Dentistry at various hospitals across the UK. While completing a placement at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield, I undertook the PGCert in Medical Education. After this I worked part time in a general dental practice, and I was also working part-time for the Eastman Dental Hospital (EDH). There I spent time teaching dental hygiene and therapy students in the clinical skills lab and supervising them whilst seeing patients. The role at EDH also allowed me to be part of a curriculum design and development project for Middle Years Dental Training - a new training programme which Health Education England hope to launch in the coming years for recent dental graduates. Currently, I work at Queen Victoria Hospital as an Orthodontic Specialist Registrar.

What led you to study a course in Medical Education?

I have always enjoyed teaching. I love to help younger students as I remember clearly how I felt at their stage. However, I wanted to improve my teaching skills as I tended to teach things in an instinctive manner that sometimes lacked structure and organisation. I thought the PGCert would help me understand how to better help students learn and how I could tailor my teaching to individual student needs.

Why did you choose to study at the University of Sheffield?

I chose to study at the University of Sheffield as I was completing my Dental Core Training placement at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, and I had heard a lot of good things about the university. I have a lot of friends who went to Sheffield and really enjoyed it. I also heard positive reviews about the course and liked the look of it when I researched it online. It all seemed to work out really well for me.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

I enjoyed the blended learning on the course - having face to face study days as well as online learning helped cement key aspects of the programme. The course was set out really well, giving you little tasks to complete which all ultimately helped you pass your final assignment. I used to joke that a course about education led by educators should be the best delivered course you've ever seen. But it is true, you can tell that a lot of thought and effort has gone into how the course is set out and then delivered. The more you learn about delivering education, the more you see how these techniques are used in the PGCert. It makes a huge difference to have good quality teaching and activities.

How has the course impacted you - personally or professionally?

I found the teaching from the course immediately applicable. Going straight into a job in education with Eastman Dental Hospital (EDH) after finishing the PGCert allowed me to use the knowledge and skills I had just learnt. The more theoretical side about curriculum design, which I assumed I wouldn't use for a long time, was actually really valuable for me in my role and I realised how much more there is that I need to learn. With any introductory course, it opens your eyes to a different side of things. In healthcare we focus a lot on our patients and clinical skills but there is a whole side to healthcare organisations that require more than just good manual dexterity and the ability to memorise textbooks. This course helped me understand the complexities of medical education that we often take for granted when on the receiving end of learning in our training years. It's sometimes easy for us to criticise teaching, but it is a different thing entirely to actually be able to implement something better. This course not only taught me how to improve the way I teach, but also made me think about education and learning in a different way.

What would you say to healthcare professionals considering applying to our course?

I would recommend the course. To anyone thinking of applying I would encourage them to do it. You get to meet other healthcare professionals from all over Sheffield and learn about a different aspect of healthcare you don't really consider. Not only that, but it looks great on your CV and you can then continue to go into educational roles in the future which is a good option to have alongside a clinical job.