Gain an Empowering Experience with a Clinical Teaching Fellowship Programme at NUMed
Clinical Teaching Fellows primarily teach Years 3-5 medical students during their clinical placements. Their diverse roles include practical sessions on drawing blood, seminars on mental health medications, and supervising students in simulated clinical environments.
17 June 2024
In the UK, it is customary for fresh medical graduates to embark on a transformative journey known as the Clinical Teaching Fellowship programme. This intermediary phase between formal education and specialised training offers a unique opportunity for budding doctors to refine their clinical skills, gain invaluable teaching experience, and contribute meaningfully to the healthcare ecosystem.
As an international branch campus of Newcastle University, UK, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) offers this unique opportunity to graduates of UK medical schools who have undergone their Foundation training in the UK, allowing them to apply and hone their knowledge prior to specialisation, while imparting what they have learnt to their juniors.
Clinical Teaching Fellows here primarily teach medical students in Years 3, 4 and 5, who have clinical placements, undertaking diverse roles that could include practical sessions such as how to draw blood, seminars on medications for mental health, or even supervising students in a simulated clinical environment.
Dr Anna Ainsworth, Dr Jennifer Bradshaw, Dr Emma Farrington and Dr Sivashankari Ganesh took up this opportunity to become Clinical Teaching Fellows at NUMed.
“As Clinical Teaching Fellows, we come with a range of backgrounds and share experiences from our recent clinical work to keep learning up-to-date and relevant for the students while working alongside senior doctors in the relevant medical specialities. We also study medical education to make sure we are using the latest teaching methods and approaches. This gives students the best possible experience and helps them get the most out of the teaching sessions,” explained Dr Anna Ainsworth.
There are many benefits to pursuing the Clinical Teaching Fellowship programme. For one, it allows the fresh graduate to gain valuable medical education experience while they practise and maintain the knowledge learnt during medical school as well as honing their leadership skills. This, in turn, helps to facilitate their personal and professional development while embellishing their curriculum vitae for future career progression.
Clinical Teaching Fellows also have an additional avenue to build their professional networks. This could open doors to vast opportunities in the medical field, including research opportunities, and lead to being published.
Dr Jennifer Bradshaw met many inspiring people during her stint at NUMed. “Teaching is an important aspect of any medical career, and having time to focus purely on teaching without any clinical pressures has been extremely helpful. There is also an opportunity to pursue a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education,” she added.
Besides that, as recent graduates with their own medical school journey still fresh in their minds, the Clinical Teaching Fellows are able to offer more relatable advice and guidance to their juniors. Many of them find a lot of satisfaction in being able to contribute to nurturing the next generation of medical professionals.
According to Dr Emma Farrington, “I’ve really enjoyed helping the final-year students prepare for their exams. We teach acute care simulation, and initially, some students were a bit out of practice. We spent a long time going over how to manage acutely unwell patients and gave tips on how to improve their technique. I then saw them completing the acute care station in their finals and was so proud of how far they’d come!”
Effective teaching and mentorship can leave a lasting impact on the student. Dr Sivashankari Ganesh who studied at NUMed before embarking on the Clinical Teaching Fellowship programme, shared, “I was fortunate to learn from experienced clinicians, who not only imparted medical knowledge but also demonstrated compassion, empathy, and professionalism in their interactions with patients and colleagues. These experiences motivated me to pursue a career in medical education so that I can pass on the same guidance and support I once received as a student.”
It’s no wonder that we at NUMed love our Clinical Teaching Fellows, and vice versa. Thank you, doctors, for taking the time to share your insights with us. We hope that this will inspire aspiring medical students to explore the different ways that you can expand your horizons and realise your potential here!
Click here for the Chinese version of this article that was featured in Sin Chew Online: