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Completing your application for a training post can be a challenging task. You want to ensure that you stand out from the crowd by presenting the full breadth and depth of the experience that you’ve gained to date. by gaining the maximum points that you can. At the simplest level, this means scoring as many points on the self-assessment as you possibly can. However, it’s essential that you are honest when claiming your points and follow the guidance correctly.

Which course and how many points?

Unfortunately, this year, there’s been a bit of confusion the allocation for points for the various “Teach the Teacher” course formats. If you’ve already taken a course, then you will want to ensure you claim the correct number of points. Alternatively, if you are still considering which course to take then you want to ensure your make the best choice to achieve the highest score.

We can assure you that all of our courses are CPD accredited and are accepted as evidence of training for thousands of doctors every year.

It’s important to bear in mind that there are different scoring criteria in play for surgical and medical training programmes. Here’s a table to summarise the scoring for the most popular Medical Teaching Course options.

Oxford Medical Course	CPD points	IMT Application Points	CST Application Points
Teach the Teacher Course for Doctors (2 days, tutor led in Virtual Classroom or In-Person)	12	1	3
Teach the Teacher Online Course	3	1	1

For clarity, the following sections outline the differences between IMT and CST programmes to help you with this matter.

2024 IMT Recruitment – Application Scoring – Teaching

It’s fairly easy to interpret the guidance on the “Training in Teaching” table which you can find under the “Teaching” tab on the NHS IMT Recruitment Application Scoring webpages.

Option	Score available	Notes
I have been awarded a masters level teaching qualification.	3	This could be full time over one academic year or part-time over multiple years.
I have a higher qualification in teaching e.g. PG Cert or PG Diploma.	2
I have had training in teaching methods which is below the level of a PG Cert or PG Diploma	1	This should be additional to any training received as part of your primary medical qualification.
I have had no training in teaching methods.	0

We provide CPD courses, rather than qualifications. So, that’s clear that you score 1 point for either our tutor-led 2-day Teach the Teacher Course for Doctors or for our Teach the Teacher Online Course where you gain access to materials which you work through on your own or at your own pace.

2024 CST Self-Assessment Scoring – Training Qualifications

This is where most of the confusion has arisen this year. It’s not been helped by the fact that differing information was listed in different places and that some definitions were unclear. We contacted HEE to raise this issue and received a response from the Recruitment Officer, London and KSS NHS England who acknowledged there had been a delay in updating the HEE webpage. Thankfully, this now appears to be resolved and with amended information in the additional notes.

So, here’s the corrected and clarified information as it appears on the Training Experience section of the 2024 Core Surgical Training Self-Assessment Scoring Guidance for Candidates webpage for NHS England, Scotland and Wales as of 3rd November 2023.

Options	Score	Notes
I have a Teaching specific postgraduate qualification, for example, at least a PG Cert (ICSED level 4 and above).	5	Not applicable
I have had substantial training (defined in additional notes) in teaching methods lasting at least 2 days. This could include a completed module which forms part of a postgraduate teaching qualification or masters level programme.	3	This does not include online only courses. Courses must have a face-to-face component.
I have had training in teaching methods	1	This should be additional to any training received as part of your primary medical qualification. This can be delivered virtually.

It’s essential to check the “Additional notes” section for clarification in terms of what is considered “substantial training” for CST programmes. As of 3rd November 2024, these additional notes now state:

“Substantial training is defined as formal training either face to face or virtual that should be of at least 2 full days in duration.”

That means, for CST programme applications, you can claim 3 points for our 2-day tutor-led Teach the Teacher Course for Doctors, whether that is taken in our Virtual Classroom or In-person, or 1 point for our Teach the Teacher Online Course where you gain access to materials which you work through on your own or at your own pace.

Other things to consider

Completing the application is only the first hurdle in achieving your training post. If you are successful in getting through to interview then you have the challenge of presenting yourself at your best during the intensive interview process. So, you need to gain as much experience in numerous areas between now and then. You will need to demonstrate your patient communication, team communication and leadership skills. Taking courses in these subjects will give you fresh input and help you to clarify your thinking. And it’s always worth considering a dedicated interview preparation course to help you pull everything together.

All the best with your application and continue to develop your abilities to maximise your potential.

Stephen McGuire – Managing Director

5th Year Medical Student Dionne, from Oxford Medical’s Junior Doctor Panel, looks ahead to taking her OSCEs, considering how to effectively prepare and how other people can help. Whether you’re about to take this step yourself or if you’re involved in any way in helping medical students prepare, Dionne’s thoughts are well worth hearing.

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Our Junior Doctor Panel is a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us. In return, we support them with their development. . Click here to find out more about the Junior Doctor Panel.

Mel, from Oxford Medical’s Junior Doctors Panel, shares her experiences from her first six weeks as an FY3 Clinical Education Fellow. This includes reflections on what the role involves, what has helped, the challenges and surprises. Mel also talks about motivations and benefits of taking on this type of role.

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Our Junior Doctor Panel is a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and webcasts which we include on our website and social media accounts. In return, we support them with their development. Click here to find out more about the Junior Doctor Panel.

October and November are traditionally very busy months for us at Oxford Medical. As the windows for training post applications open, we suddenly get a huge surge in course bookings. Everyone wants to get that certificate to use as evidence to gain that extra point on their application form. Added to this, end of year point for doctors to have set a deadline for appraisal, CCT or CESR related goals. This creates even more demand.

We’ve come to expect this surge. So, we work with our tutors, scheduling more courses during October and November than we do at any other time of year. Unfortunately, every year, we have some doctors who leave things too late and end up disappointed. Leaving it too late means you may find that the courses on dates you’d like to attend are fully booked.

That can be stressful. Having to arrange swaps to shifts with colleagues or change family plans to match up with available dates. But again, courses can often be booking so fast at this time of year that those precious spaces disappear before you can confirm your new arrangements.

The good news is that we work closely with our Faculty of Tutors and do what we can to add additional dates where possible. At the same time, we strictly adhere to the maximum numbers on our courses. We do this to conform with our CPD accreditation and to maintain quality of experience for everyone. We’re often asked “Can you not just make and extra space and add me on please?” Unforturtunately, we have to politely decline. We do, however, offer to add you to a waiting list and contact you if there are cancellations. But there are no guarantees that space will become available.

In-person, Virtual classroom or Online course?

Of course, being tied to specific dates only applies to tutor led courses, either in-person or in our Virtual Classrooms. These tutor led courses provide you with a live and interactive group learning experience.

Our range of self-study online courses offer an alternative approach. With these options, you learn on your own, when you want, where you want and still gain a CPD certificate. You simply subscribe to the course and gain immediate access to the interactive materials. You then find a mix of video, text, infographics and reflective exercises which we’ve created to ensure you have a high quality and engaging learning experience. It’s entirely up to you how you take your course . You can do it all in one concentrated sitting, or dip in and out, revisiting as often as you want across the time period where your subscription is live. Click here to explore our range of online courses.

It’s worth noting that when you book one of our Virtual Classroom courses, we typically include a relevant online course as part of your package. This expands the breadth and depth of your learning experience. It also offers you the ability to gain an additional CPD certificate.

The simple solution?

Avoid the rush. Book with confidence and book early!

It’s been a challenging year to say the least. So, to make things easier, we’ve held our prices steady in recent years. We’ve also created packages of online courses, have flexible payment options in place and made temporary changes to our Transfer and Cancellation Policy. Click hear to read more.

Develop your abilities. Maximise your potential.

Stephen McGuire – Managing Director.

Oxford Medical Junior Doctor Panel member Dionne shares her experiences of starting as a 5th Year Medical Student in paediatrics and neonatal care. This includes the moments she’s enjoyed most, some key learning points and the teaching methods used by doctors supporting her development that have had greatest benefit. Essential viewing with key insights for any doctor involved in teaching medical students, either formally or informally.

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Our Junior Doctor Panel is a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and webcasts which we include on our website and social media accounts. In return, we support them with their development. Click here to find out more about the Junior Doctor Panel.

In this video, Bhavik shares his experiences of his first 6 weeks as a GPST: what he’s enjoyed, what’s helped, what’s hindered, what’s surprised him and what he’s focused on next. This is essential viewing for anyone interested in the experiences of Junior Doctors in general and getting started as a GPST in particular.

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Bhavik is a member of Oxford Medical’s Junior Doctor Panel. Our Junior Doctor Panel is a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and webcasts which we include on our website and social media accounts. In return, we support them with their development. Click here to read more about the panel.

Ella is a member of Oxford Medical’s Junior Doctor Panel. Our Junior Doctor Panel are a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and webcasts which we include on our website and social media accounts. In return, we support them with their development. Click here to read more about the panel.

In this video, Ella reflects on her first month working as an FY1. What’s helped and what hindered; experiences on the night shift and looking forward to the coming months. A must watch for anyone interested in hearing the experiences of an FY1 doctor.

Our Junior Doctor Panel are a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and webcasts that we include on our website and social media accounts. In return, we support them with their development. Click here to read more about the panel.

Here is a written reflection by our Panel Member Andrew on his first month working as an FY1 doctor.

Andrew’s reflections

Medical school does an excellent job of causing you to doubt yourself. The root cause of this doubt is a bit of a mystery, but an educated guess would be that it lies in the comparison of yourself to the lofty ideals expected of the profession. These ideals are perpetuated throughout medical school – perhaps even before, when you are sat in your med school interview and your very character, personality and beliefs are scrutinised for suitability to enter the profession. It does not help that topics such as doubt and imposter syndrome are typically given only a cursory glance (perhaps relegated to a lecture on wellness that has been shoehorned somewhere into the curriculum). In medicine, one might argue that a degree of doubt is not only healthy but recommended: it encourages doctors to act safely, to seek advice when needed, and to escalate early. But, at what point does this doubt verge on neediness, inconveniencing others, or downright incompetence? Medical school does not prepare you sufficiently to answer this question, so for much of it I assumed that you would only discover the answer when you are finally introducing yourself to patients as doctor and taking responsibility for them.

This notion of independence was on my mind almost daily during my first few weeks as a doctor. Everything felt new: from navigating the many counterintuitive IT systems to locating the most basic pieces of equipment in the ward store cupboard (and enduring the subsequent embarrassment when someone has to show you how to find what you were looking for and it was in front of you the whole time). I didn’t keep count of the number of questions I asked each day, but it felt like the number could have been in the hundreds. (This also includes needing to ask the same questions multiple times, as my headspace was often at peak saturation and retaining even the simplest of information was sometimes a challenge.) Despite this, I felt like time was always found to help me; even when other doctors, nurses and other staff were busy, they would talk me through my queries and offer advice and tips. Nevertheless, there were also times when I had to force myself to ask for help, as the lurking self-doubt and all-too-familiar feeling of imposter syndrome could have convinced me to suffer in silence instead. However, in these moments, I found it useful to ask myself: “Who benefits from not asking for help?” The answer would always be no-one, so reframing the need to ask questions as choosing to become a responsible member of the team was my way forward.

Thankfully, the 4-6 years of medical school learning does kick in at some point! Even though it’s not always at the forefront of your mind, I’ve found that important knowledge and skills often reveal themselves when you need them to: this can be as simple as knowing how to draw blood from the trickiest of veins to more ‘cerebral’ skills such as interpreting results and understanding the significance of abnormal findings. Even when you aren’t quite sure about what you need to do next, or you are struggling to summon this knowledge from the deepest recesses of your memory, half the battle is identifying the abnormal and coming to a decision about what you need to do with this information. After a month of work, I can now appreciate an analogy that I heard during a talk to mentally prepare incoming doctors for the job…

Being a doctor is like fixing a broken printer: the F1 can identify that the printer isn’t working; the core trainee can tell you that it’s a printer jam; the registrar can fix the paper jam; however, only the consultant can get a new printer.

This isn’t 100% accurate, as I have occasionally found myself – as an F1 doctor – having to fix literal broken printers. (You soon come to the realisation that it’s often quicker to figure it out for yourself than waiting for IT to save you.) Despite this, the analogy rings true for much of medicine. Although there are times when I can’t figure out what’s going on with a patient, I’ve realised that you can still be valuable to the rest of the team by understanding the patient well, providing a high-quality patient summary (good ol’ SBAR), and taking the initiative to request tests/imaging and start some basic management.

With all of that said, I’ve put together some advice and tips that will hopefully come in handy during your first month as a doctor. Good luck!

• Leave the ego at the door. Be prepared to feel lost, dependent, and even dumb at times; the only cure is to ask plenty of questions!
• Be prepared for some degree of exhaustion. Learning so much in such a short amount of time is both mentally and physically taxing; it’s normal to go home feeling drained and like you don’t have energy to do anything. Be patient with yourself during this time: eat healthy yet comforting food and relax in your downtime – don’t plan anything too ambitious during your first month!
• The majority of your problems will be procedural, not medical. Figuring out where X is, how to order Y, who you need to speak to about Z etc. will take up much of your working day. Your other F1 colleagues will be amazingly helpful as they may have already worked through the same issues and can save you the time. (You can even bond over your shared confusion at some of the workplace’s absurdities!)
• Your phone is your closest ally (literally). Use your notes app to record tips you get from staff, door codes, IT logins, photos of useful policies and so on. Soon enough, it will be your turn to induct the next batch of F1s, so think of this as forward planning!

It’s a good time to revisit this blog post, first published 2nd August 2021.

It’s that time of year again. The sun is shining; the flowers are flowering – and, all across the UK, teams of doctors are in a state of flux. You may be fresh from university and taking up your first post. You may be moving to join a new team in a new location to start your next rotation. Or you may be settled in your role but surrounded by new faces. It’s an annual ritual and a challenging experience for all concerned. But the past couple of years have been unique in countless ways. So, will this August and the following months be a fresh start? Or will they be just another iteration of the cycle where age old problems are repeated?

The same old problems?

The normal stresses and strains for doctors have been dramatically amplified by the pandemic. Unfortunately, stresses and strains affect our moods, behaviours and our communication. Our behaviours and communications then have direct impact on the people around us. In any given year, you never have to look far to find the latest reports about bullying, toxic bickering or burnout in the medical professions. So, should we expect more of the same? Should we expect worse? Or do the changes to teams, faces and places create opportunity to break this cycle?

It’s worth pausing to consider a key message from Dame Clare Marx’s resignation letter from her post as Chair of the General Medical Council a couple of years back.

“When I look back on my career, I remember how I was treated. In my happiest moments, I felt respected, valued and listened to. I felt I belonged.

In a service short on time and short on resource, there is no excuse for being short on kindness and politeness. We are in control of how we treat each other. Our behaviours determine the success of our working relationships, with both colleagues and patients.”

Dame Clare Marx, Chair of the General Medical Council

The big question is, how to break free from the past and make this fresh start?

The solution?

As human beings, communication is at the heart of everything we do. Whether good or bad, it defines our social experience, our identity in the eyes of others and often makes the difference between success and failure. Good communication is also a fundamental ingredient for developing a successful team. So, we can’t afford to let it be taken for granted. Regularly taking a pause to reflect with fresh input is as essential for this skill as it is for any other clinical knowledge or abilities.

What are you doing to improve your team communication skills?

Stephen McGuire – Managing Director

With around 2,000 delegates participating each year, Oxford Medical’s 2-day Teach the Teacher Course for Doctors is easily the most popular course of it’s type. Now, we’re making it easier to take your learning experience a step further by offering our new 3-day Extended Teach the Teacher Course.

In short, we’ve created the option to extend our regular 2-day Teach the Teacher course by adding our 1-day Mentoring Skills Course for Doctors at a price that saves you 10% compared to choosing the two courses separately. But it’s more than that as your package also includes two excellent online courses for you to work through at your leisure. All together, this gives you the opportunity to earn 24 CPD points in total.