Your GP Educational Supervisor – Roles & Responsibilities
The Role of the Educator
The GP Educational Supervisor (ES) is responsible for overseeing registrar training and making sure that they are making the necessary clinical and educational progress by completing Educational Supervisor Reviews (ESRs). The Educational Supervisor will usually be the same GP Trainer through to the ST3 year and should give regular feedback on progress. For example, agreeing the Personal Development Plan (PDP), discussing career progression and making recommendations to the GPST Faculty with regard to sign off.
Trainees should use one day’s study leave in each four month post to attend a meeting with their GP Educational Supervisor at the GP practice (completing a study leave application form for this). These meetings are important to reinforce the connection of hospital learning to the trainees future GP role and curriculum. The ES will assist trainees in completing essential assessments on your ePortfolio.
The Clinical Supervisor (CS) is responsible for trainee progress within each speciality placement and for day to day clinical progress. The Clinical Supervisor should be a Consultant working with the trainee in each attachment. There should be regular feedback from the Clinical Supervisor during the attachment and they should complete the Clinical Supervisor’s Report (CSR). Information about trainee progress (such as the CSR) is collated by your Educational Supervisor through GPST Faculty meetings and ARCP.
Trainee Requirements in GP Practice
When in a GP training post, GP registrars are contracted to work 40 hours per week (full-time equivalent). The Thursday half-day release (ST3), ITP teaching (ST1-2), and clinical update (ST1-3) at the Royal Surrey County Hospital count as 8 hours of this learning time.
For the remaining 32 hours in GP practice, a minimum of 4 hours should be educational. For a split-ITP post, these 4 hours are divided as 2 hours of speciality education in the hospital post each week, and 2 hours of GP education per week.
The GP educational time is usually delivered in a 2 hour weekly tutorial with the Educational Supervisor, or a named individual in their absence, as well as additional time throughout the week attending practice meetings, doing workplace based assessments or portfolio work.
For the remaining 28 hours, the contract stipulates 1 hour of admin time per 3 hours of clinical time. (This should include appropriate time to debrief with the supervising GP). This should provide ample opportunity to complete all admin/record keeping safely as well as complete work base placed assessments and engage with the portfolio within working hours.
An example 4 days in practice (which excludes the Thursday teaching day), could include 3 days using the template below, and the 4th day with a morning tutorial in place of the surgery/admin time:
- 8:30-11:00 Surgery (2.5h Clinical)
- 11:00-12:00 Admin/Debrief (1h Admin)
- 12:00-12:30 LUNCH (30mins Paid Break)
- 12:30-13:30 Accompanying home visit (1h Clinical)
- 13:30-14:00 Education time/WBPA/Portfolio (30mins Education)
- 14:00-16:00 Surgery (2h Clinical)
- 16:00-16:30 Admin/Debrief (30mins Admin)
Some full-time trainees prefer to condense their 32 hours into 3 long days rather than 4 standard days.
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