Welcome GPs to our page dedicated to intending and new trainers. You will find all the information here about the process of becoming a trainer.
Being a trainer is immensely rewarding and a great addition to your working week and beneficial for the practice you work in. Nothing can beat sharing your passion for a career that although challenging at times, gives great personal satisfaction.
Taking the first steps to being a trainer can feel a little daunting, especially if you have no colleagues in your practice to guide you through the process. These pages will give you the information you require to get started, and the Pennine VTS Scheme TPDs are full of enthusiasm to help you get started.
An easy way to keep in touch with all the other trainers, and an excellent resource for peer support is to join our WhatsApp group. The TPDs or Omar Khatab can add you to this.
Intending Trainers
When deciding to apply to become a trainer for the first time, please contact Omar Khatab who will link you to a TPD who will become your mentor and guide you through the process. His contact details can be found here
The new and intending GP trainer approval on the HEE Yorkshire and Humber website (https://www.yorksandhumberdeanery.nhs.uk/general_practice/educators/new_and_intending_gp_trainer_approval) goes through the process step by step.
Your application will be made via the PARE online platform and a link is available on the link above to get started. There is also an explanatory video on how to use the PARE platform.
How to become a Trainer/Training Practice
Becoming a Training Practice
If your practice is not currently a training practice, it will need to be approved as an educational site and registered as such with the GMC. Information on the following link in the Q&A section at the bottom of the page gives the link to the PARE portal where you can register your practice and the processes involved.
You may find it helpful to discuss with neighbouring practices about their training set up, or after joining the scheme WhatsApp group, chat to local fellow trainers for tips.
Becoming a GP Trainer
There are currently two options to learn about the educational theory behind becoming a trainer;
Complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education (PGCME) at university. Our local universities of Hull-York Medical School, Sheffield University and Leeds university offer courses. These are funded by HEE and applications must be submitted prior to starting. There is a link at the top of the page to help with advice about fees.
Complete a mandatory e-learning module in clinical supervision, a one day educational theory course and a three day intending trainers course.
Both the options have pros and cons and it is important to consider what will fit best with your other work and life commitments and other career aspirations.
You will also be allocated a TPD as a mentor and will have six 3-4 hour sessions on various aspects of being a trainer. You will be asked to ‘borrow’ a trainee from a local trainer and record a video of you doing core training activities so you can gain feedback on your skills, and possibly add some extra tips to help facilitate excellent education. These sessions are meant to be enjoyable and prepare you for your first trainee.
You will also be asked to show 6 hours of trainers workshops engagement. Trainers workshops are where all the trainers on the scheme meet for education and peer support.
You may also wish to help out teaching or facilitating a trainee session at half day release. At Pennine these are held on a Tuesday afternoon and add to the body of evidence to your application prior to the interview. Please contact Omar for further information or possible available dates.
Once these aspects are completed then you complete the PARE application online and will be invited for an interview.
Every trainer is paid a trainers grant, which often goes to the practice, and GP trainers also receive an annual CPD payment to help them fund activities to maintain or improve their educational skills.
New Trainers
- Please remember, there are several sources of help available to you.
1. Your local TPDs;
2. Neighbouring GP Trainers;
3. Your fellow new Trainers and of course; and
4. your previous GP Trainer Mentor.
- You should hopefully feel a bit more confident at doing CBDs and COTs as well as teaching on the consultation and reflective learning log entries. You should also be familiar with the ePortfolio and the fundamentals of Educational Supervision.
- But remember, you don’t need to know everything in one go. You will build on what you already have rapidly over the year. So, enjoy the process and look forward to learning and developing.
- It will be helpful for you to continue to attend some Half-Day Release sessions and deliver the educational session. The TPDs will be there too to hold your hand. In doing so, you will develop educational skills in no time (and again, you’ll enjoy it too).
Educational Workshops and Activities
These are all available on the main GP Trainer’s page. There are a plethora of educational activities and workshops available to you. There are educational events run regularly by your local scheme. On a more regional level there are educational events run by your HEE GP School. Then there are more wider events run by organisations across the UK and other countries. Network with local colleagues through scheme-based activities, with regional colleagues through GP School based activities and with wider Primary Care Educators through some of the national and international conferences and organisations. They are all detailed on the main GP Trainer’s page.
Please follow this link to the main GP Trainer’s page.Educational Resources
Pennine GP Training Scheme has a whole page devoted to Educational Resources for New and Intending GP Trainers. Click the link below to visit it.
Another great resource is Bradford VTS scheme website and GP-training.net (although it is no longer updated, its resources are useful and many are timeless.
And of course, don’t forget to check out the main pages for all Trainers to see what’s happening on your local GP training scheme.
Main GP Trainers’ Page