RACGP Medical Educator Vision Statement
We will be recognised as leaders in medical education both nationally and internationally and we educate and inspire GPs to be committed to providing high quality service to their communities.
What is a medical educator?
GP medical educators are GPs with a specific interest and additional skills in educational development and delivery, particularly as it relates to general practice. They usually maintain part-time clinical practice while working in medical education.
The RACGP employs close to 600 medical educators working across multiple business units, programs and projects.
As a group, our medical educators work in design and development, governance and lifelong learning (CPD). Medical educators are supported by senior medical education leads to work across the College’s functional areas, helping doctors at all stages of their careers, from pre-vocational all the way thorough to post-Fellowship stages. Some medical educators may work as generalists and others may develop areas of expertise.
Areas of work include, but are not limited to:
- training program development and delivery
- rural training
- educational support
- development of educational frameworks, curricula and syllabi
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and health education
- assessment
- education strategy and development
- evaluation and research
- continuing professional development
- governance, management and policy.
Medical educators are also involved in education in other ways, including as general practice supervisors, via GP training organisations, as part of regulatory authorities (ie AHPRA), as cultural educators, and pre-vocationally via universities.
Medical educators are also involved in education in other ways, including as general practice supervisors, via GP training organisations, as part of regulatory authorities (eg, Ahpra, PSR), as cultural educators, and pre-vocationally via universities.
What do medical educators do?
They work across a range of diverse portfolios, but medical educators can also have areas of specific expertise in education.
GP-in-training support and guidance
- Training planning, advice and mentoring
Education
- Teaching, curricula, program design and implementation, assessment, remediation, research and evaluation
Professional development
- Medical educators, general practice supervisors
Networking and stakeholder relations
- Supervisor and training-site support
Organisational support
- Accreditation, governance, policy, reporting
How to become a medical educator
There are numerous pathways into medical education, but the best way to start is by approaching a colleague who is already involved and asking more about the role. You may also like to consider looking into supervising a GP-in-training in your practice, becoming involved in assessment activities, or approaching your local university about roles in teaching and learning.
If you would like to learn more, the RACGP has a Medical Education Specific Interests group that members can join for free.