Tackling teamwork problems earns medical students top prize
Medical students from the University of Cambridge have won the annual UK-wide student professionalism competition run by the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC).
Molly Hugkulstone and Clare Pearson, fifth year students, designed an online learning resource to help students understand what the joint GMC and MSC student professionalism guidance, Achieving good medical practice, says about teamwork
Their entry, Achieving effective teamwork in a multi-disciplinary team, an e-learning module made by medical students for medical students, impressed the judges, earning them a prize of a £300 shopping voucher and an opportunity to present at the GMC’s annual conference and to write a GMC blog.
Judges praised Molly and Clare’s presentation, citing how they had considered users learning from the e-module. They also felt the winning entry had a ‘friendly tone’, made good use of examples and ‘overall provided a clean and engaging session’.
"The resource our winners developed is both motivating and reassuring, and from their own experiences. It guides medical students through real-life examples while also interweaving our Achieving good medical practice guidance."
Professor Colin Melville
GMC’s Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards
Fellow panellist Clare Owen, Assistant Director of the MSC, said:
‘Clinical placement for medical students can be quite daunting. Any guidance, especially from medical students with recent experience of this role, is very valuable.
‘Molly and Clare’s voices come through very confidently which will, in turn, will boost the confidence of medical students about to start their placements. And besides that, is very wonderful to look at.’
Content from the module includes:
- Real life examples of difficult situations in teamwork on clinical placement.
- Insight into a medical student's role in a multi-disciplinary team, and how to get involved.
- The value of communication to teamwork, but also the challenges of speaking-up and dealing with difficult colleagues.
- An engaging way for students to access the guidance through a ‘game-style’ format. With a high level of interactivity and developed teamwork scenarios relevant to medical students.
Read the winning entry for the student professionalism competition 2021.