Introduction
My name is Ben Lovell and I am a consultant in Acute Medicine in London. I am also a medical educator with an interest in postgraduate training and simulation.
What got you interested in Medical Education as a special interest?
I had always enjoyed teaching. I had felt like a rather mediocre medical student, and I enjoyed finding ways of explaining things to people the way I wish I had been taught them. When I started my ST4 year of Acute Medicine training, I worked with a very inspiring consultant and educator, and I realised that I would love to work like him as a consultant, moving between clinical medicine and training other doctors. I approached him and asked for career advice and he became my mentor and helped me become a Medical Education Fellow as an out of programme experience in his hospital.
How did you train in Medical Education and what other avenues are there?
Between ST4 and ST5, I took an out of programme experience as the Medical Education Fellow at the Royal Free Hospital. My mentor ran the simulation training programme for doctors, and he trained me up to be a simulation teacher and facilitator. I really enjoyed my experience. I decided to do a postgraduate certificate in medical education. I chose the PGCert offered by Cardiff University, because I liked the flexible approach to distance learning, and it was more affordable than most of the other ones on offer!
What challenges did you face?
The PGCert was interesting but quite hard work. I had to get into the practice of writing essays again for the first time since my A-levels. After my OOPE finished and I went back into training, I decided I wanted to complete the second year of the distance learning course and take it to Diploma level. Doing this whilst back in full-time training was an exercise in time management. I then decided to complete the third year and take my learning to masters degree level. Researching and writing my masters dissertation, working full time as an ST6, and studying for my Acute Medicine Specialty Certificate Examination all at the same time certainly presented some challenges. But I was unbelievably proud to receive my MSc in Medical Education.
How does this fit into your consultant working?
As a consultant, my job is split 50/50 between clinical work and postgraduate medical education. When you become a consultant with an interest in education, it is quite common to pick up extra responsibilities and duties whenever opportunities come up that interest you. In my hospital, I am the simulation lead for Foundation Year and Internal Medicine Training, the Education Lead for Acute Medicine, and the Deputy Director for Postgraduate Medical Education. I think that’s enough for now! But new opportunities are always coming up, making postgraduate educational leadership really exciting and interesting.
Do you have any tips for trainees who may be interested in Medical Education as a special interest?
Finding a mentor is really helpful, because they can help you navigate some of the complex pathways involved. Go to your local education lead for your department and introduce yourself as a budding medical teacher. Start building your education experience. Contact your trust’s simulation centre and sign up to become a facilitator; most simulation centres have pathways for becoming a simulation trainer and will be very keen to get you trained up. If you love teaching and leadership, you are probably going to be a fantastic medical educator!
