The class of students who began the FAIMER-Keele Master’s in Health Professions Education: Accreditation and Assessment program in 2015 completed their third-year residential session at Keele University in the United Kingdom in February 2018. The session was led by Course Director Professor Janet Grant of the Centre for Medical Education in Context (CenMEDIC), as well as unit authors Dr. Jack Boulet and Dr. Danette McKinley (both of FAIMER). Members of the Master’s class presented and defended their dissertation proposals during the weeklong session, and acquired higher skills in research methods. With their proposals approved, they will conduct the activities needed to complete their dissertations in August 2018.
The residential session provided an opportunity for students to have face-to-face meetings with the faculty, administrators, and classmates they have been corresponding with since the cohort began their studies in September 2015. Two dissertation supervisors were able to attend: Dr. Viktoria Joynes of Liverpool Medical School and Dr. Jane Kidd, recently of Warwick University Medical School. Students visited the Keele University Library and met with various members of the university faculty to refine their literature searches and discuss things such as guidelines for academic writing, plagiarism detection, writing research summaries, and proper referencing. Dr. Rodney Gale (CenMEDIC and unit author) was on hand to discuss leadership and management issues. Professor David Gordon, President of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), explained WFME’s role in medical education and discussed current efforts in recognition of accrediting bodies. He moderated a debate on the premise “Accreditation improves the quality of medical education,” where the students took positions for and against. Mrs. Heather Owen, CenMEDIC Program Evaluator, was also there to observe the residential session. The course dinner, held on the evening of February 15, was attended by Dr. Alwyn Ralphs, Keele Deputy Director of Postgraduate Programmes; and Mrs. Debbie Paddison, Keele Postgraduate Manager.
We are pleased to announce the current members of the FAIMER-Keele Master’s class:
Eman Ali, Egypt
Leilanie Apostol-Nicodemus, Philippines
Soumitra Chakravarty, St. Kitts
Amol Dongre, India
Nadia El Asmar, Lebanon
Mobeen Iqbal, Pakistan
Minnie Faith Kalyanasundaram, India
Gagandeep Kwatra, India
Krystina McNeil, Philippines
Umayya Musharrafieh, Lebanon
Salem Silvey, Philippines
Felix Silwimba, Zambia
Participants in the FAIMER-Keele Distance Learning program are able to earn a Certificate, Diploma, or Master’s Degree in Health Professions Education: Accreditation and Assessment. The program aims to empower health professions educators and those who manage or support education, with the knowledge and skills to take educational standards and practice to a higher level—to develop their own practice, to improve health professions education at their institutions and in their communities, and to help bring about real and lasting advances in local health care.
Applications for 2018 enrollment are currently being accepted. The application deadline is August 31, 2018, and course work will begin on September 24, 2018.
To learn more about the program, please visit http://www.faimer.org/distance-learning/index.html.