Reviewing our approach to the quality assurance of medical education and training
Our Education Strategy 2011-2013 (pdf) commits us to a comprehensive review of our approach to quality assuring medical education and training.
The review will start in early 2012 and conclude towards the end of the year. We will then consult on our conclusions.
Some of the themes that we expect to tackle during the course of the review were discussed by the GMC Council at its meeting in June 2011 (pdf).
Research to support the review
To help inform the work of the review we have commissioned research into how medical education (and education more generally) is quality assured by other bodies. The research is being undertaken on our behalf by Colin Wright Associates.
The research will combine a literature review and a series of in-depth discussions with organisations that have a role in quality assuring the provision of education and training. It will cover such issues as:
- How quality assurance activities are planned and targeted
- How visits are targeted
- The criteria and standards that are used to inform the process
- The extent to which quality assurance relies on self-reporting or evidence from other sources
- The nature of the sanctions available to the regulator where standards are not being met
- How regulators report their findings
The research will run until the end of February 2012. If you are from an organisation involved in quality assurance and willing to speak to our researchers, please contact Colin Wright Associates at colin@colinwrightassociates.co.uk or by telephone on 01227 477106.
Information about the review
Look out for further information about the review once it begins in 2012. In the meantime, if you would like details of our plans, or have ideas for how the quality assurance of medical education should work in the future, let us know by contacting Richard Marchant at rmarchant@gmc-uk.org