Library resource guides: ANZCA Educators Program (AEP): Overview

Program Spotlight

Redesigned ANZCA Educators Program - Overview

The ANZCA Educators Program (AEP) is a practical course designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to be competent clinical teachers. It is open to ANZCA fellows, specialist international medical graduates, provisional fellows and trainees (BT onwards), and to FPM fellows and trainees. A review of the AEP has been completed led by the ANZCA Educators Sub-Committee, with extensive input from AEP Facilitators and external experts. The Redesigned ANZCA Educators Program has been launched and now consists of:

Five core modules over 1.5 days to complete the course (previously eight modules over 2.5 days)
A new course handbook that also functions as an enduring reference for participants

Learning outcomes for the revised course are based on the progression indicators in Tier One (Knowing and Doing) of the recently-launched ANZCA Educator Competency Framework. This is the foundational level of competency, applicable to all ANZCA and FPM fellows in their role as clinical teachers.

The following Learning Outcomes underpin the content (interweaved throughout the modules):

Establish positive working relationships and communicate effectively with learners
Promote a culture that emphasises equity and social justice, and is free from discrimination, bullying, and harassment
Recognise the influence of unconscious bias on teaching, learning, and assessment
Recognise the influence and importance of role-modelling in the educator role

Additionally, trainees are able to gain credits towards the “teach a skill” and “facilitate a group discussion/running a tutorial” activities (Scholar Role Activities).

Visit the AEP page on the ANZCA website for information on upcoming courses. If you are interested in becoming an AEP Facilitator, email us at aep@anzca.edu.au

Module 1: Planning Effective Teaching and Learning (PETL)

Describe the principles of adult learning relevant to medical education
Create a supportive and psychologically safe educational environment**
Outline an approach to performing a needs assessment
Write a SMART learning objective
Develop a teaching plan for a teaching and learning session

**New learning outcome

Module 2: Facilitating Learning in Clinical Settings 1 (FLICS1)

Identify specific characteristics of teaching and learning in the clinical setting
Evaluate the use of deliberate teaching tools in the clinical setting* • Plan a session to facilitate learning of a practical skill
Demonstrate key concepts to facilitate learning of a practical skill
Adapt teaching and learning approaches to a variety of clinical settings*

*Significantly modified learning outcome

Module 3: Facilitating Learning in Clinical Settings 2 (FLICS2)

Describe models for feedback conversations*
Conduct an effective feedback conversation*
Outline the factors required to provide effective clinical supervision
Articulate appropriate levels of supervision for various clinical scenarios*

*Significantly modified learning outcome

Module 4: Teaching in Non-Clinical Settings (TINCS)

Evaluate the utility of different non-clinical settings to facilitate teaching and learning*
Outline approaches for facilitating a small-group discussion*
Incorporate techniques to promote interactive teaching and learning in small groups*
Outline approaches for managing the 'different' participant behaviours that can impact on learning*

*Significantly modified learning outcome

Module 5: Assessment and Evaluation in Medical Education (AEME)

Describe the key concepts in assessment
Describe different assessment instruments and their role in facilitating learning, with a focus on WBAs*
Outline methods to evaluate a teaching encounter**
Outline approaches to seek feedback and reflect on own teaching practice**

*Significantly modified learning outcome
**New learning outcome

Additional concepts in medical education (included in handbook)

Recognise the importance of professionalism, leadership, and teamwork in medical education**
Recognise the basic principles of coaching, mentoring, and professional development**
Demonstrate awareness of fair and equitable selection processes for learners**
Identify and support learners experiencing difficulty**
Recognise different approaches to producing new knowledge in medical education research, including quantitative and qualitative approaches**
Describe the principles of critical appraisal and peer-review**
Identify the standards set by statutory and other regulatory bodies in provision and quality assurance of medical education**

**New learning outcome

Medical Education Spotlight

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown; Henry L. Roediger; Mark A. McDaniel This groundbreaking book, based on the latest research in cognitive science, offers powerful strategies to boost memory and learning. To most of us, learning something "the hard way" means wasted time and effort. Good teaching, many believe, should be tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and a ten-year collaboration among some of the world's leading experts on human learning and memory, the authors explain what really drives successful learning. With clear, real-world examples, they show how we can confidently hone our skills and learn more effectively. Many common study habits simply don't work. Underlining, highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. Science shows that more durable learning comes from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has occurred, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Make It Stick breaks down these proven approaches in compelling ways and offers concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners. Full of eye-opening and inspiring stories for students, educators, and parents, Make It Stick is an indispensable guide for all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
ISBN: 9780674729018
Publication Date: 2014-04-14
Racism, Microaggressions, and Allyship in Health Care: A Narrative Approach to Learning by Ifeolorunbode Adebambo; Adam T. Perzynski [eds] This book provides a complete teaching companion that an organization can use to educate on the hard topics of racism, antiracism, microaggressions, bias and allyships. It explores the experience of underrepresented minority trainees and other healthcare professionals with racism and allyship. Talking about racism is challenging due to the amount of associated pain, suffering and strong emotions. Creating a respectful, open, interactive and safe place to have conversations, teach and learn is paramount in order to produce change in the healthcare environment. Using narratives to facilitate difficult conversations is familiar to healthcare professionals, and with humility reminds us that we are all "patients" that also need healing. Narratives promote self-reflection and have the power to change beliefs and attitudes. The volume opens with introductory chapters that focus on definitions, historical context and the current climate of racism, bias, microaggressions and allyship. Narratives are presented in 42 chapters organized by themes of racism, microaggression, allyship, sexism and health equity. Each narrative is an honest representation of real-life encounters within the healthcare system. The narratives include personal experiences of racism in health care, explicit and implicit bias, microaggressions and experiences of anti-racist efforts and allyship. There are clear instructions on how to use the narratives for teaching and to facilitate discussion. Among the book's benefits: Explicitly includes the perspective of trainees and administration; Engages learners in affective and emotional learning as well as practical and cognitive learning modes; Provides a series of historical cases, consistent with the preferred and traditional learning modality of health professions; Includes an array of activities, tools and learning exercises. Racism, Microaggressions and Allyship in Health Care is a timely and essential text for medical student and resident training, graduate and undergraduate nursing programs, advanced practice care providers, clinical faculty and staff development, CME workshops, public health programs, and hospital administration. It also is a useful resource for undergraduate pre-medicine programs, structural racism courses, and advanced social science courses (health disparities, medical sociology, inequality, healthcare policy). 
ISBN: 9783031680694
Publication Date: 2024-10-24
Problems and Pitfalls in Medical Literature: A Practical Guide for Clinicians by Adam L. Cohen This book aims to teach the skills for assessing the quality of a medical article. It focuses on problems and pitfalls that may interfere with the validity of an article so that readers know what problems to look for and how to tell if an article has successfully addressed them. It focuses on concepts rather than formulas. In each chapter, one article will be analyzed to illustrate a particular concept, demonstrating when to look for that pitfall, how to recognize it, what effect it would have on results, and how to tell if an author has successfully mitigated the pitfall. Written with clarity and precision, this invaluable resource ensures that readers develop a deep understanding of the critical elements that underpin the quality of medical literature. Each chapter presents a specific concept and employs a practical approach, utilizing the analysis of a real-world medical article to illustrate the concept in action. By dissecting the research, readers learn to identify common pitfalls, recognize their influence on the results, and determine whether the author has effectively addressed them. By exploring topics such as research methodology, bias detection, and result interpretation, Problems and Pitfalls in Medical Literature empowers readers to go beyond a superficial understanding of articles and critically evaluate their reliability and relevance.
ISBN: 9783031402951
Publication Date: 2023-09-27

Condron C, Power M, Mathew M, et al. Gender Equality Training for Students in Higher Education: A Scoping Review. JMIR Med Educ. Epub March 6, 2025.
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Abstract
Background: Despite recent improvements, gender inequality persists within the higher education sector, as evidenced by the proportionally greater number of student and academic leadership positions occupied by male students and staff. Gender equality education and training for students may help to develop awareness, knowledge, and skills among individual students, building capacity to address biases and accelerate culture change in higher education institutes (HEIs).

Objective: Our review seeks to identify and explore the existing literature on gender equality training interventions for third level students, with a particular emphasis on training content, methodology and outcome evaluation.

Methods: The Arskey & O'Malley's six-stage framework was employed to map the literature related to current best practice in gender equality training for students in higher education. Systematic database searches of peer-reviewed literature were carried out and 3140 titles, 33 abstracts, and 52 full-text articles were screened for eligibility with 14 articles selected for inclusion in this review. A theory of change lens was applied to provide a structured approach to examine their focus and relevance within the context of gender equality training in higher education.

Results: The selected studies detail a range of pedagogical approaches, including didactic lectures, participatory and co-design workshops, reflective writing, and service learning, with durations ranging from a single interaction to one year. Most articles reviewed do not explicitly state their study aims or research question, and the theoretical underpinnings are generally vaguely described. The longer-term impact of most interventions is unclear, as evaluation metrics seldom go beyond the level of adoption.

Conclusions: This scoping review shows that the literature base for gender equality training for third level students lacks coherence, highlighting the need for further work to evaluate its impact. This work provides a foundation for developing training design recommendations.
Ekpenyong A, Holmboe ES, Govaerts M, Heeneman S. Investigating the Roles and Impact of Clinical Competency Committees in Graduate Medical Education: A Narrative Review. J Grad Med Educ. 2024;16(6):662-683.
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Abstract
Background Although Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) were implemented to facilitate the goals of competency-based medical education, implementation has been variable, and we do not know if and how these committees affected programs and assessment in graduate medical education (GME). Objective To explore the roles CCCs fulfill in GME and their effect on trainees, faculty, and programs. Methods We conducted a narrative review of CCC primary research with the following inclusion criteria: all articles must be research in nature, focused on GME and specifically studying CCCs, and published in English language journals from January 2013 to November 2022. Results The main results are as follows: (1) The primary role of the CCC (decision-making on trainee progress) is mostly described in "snapshots" (ie, focusing on a single aspect of this role at a single point in time); (2) CCCs are taking on secondary roles, some of which were anticipated (eg, remediation, feedback) whereas others were "unanticipated" (eg, use of CCC data to validate trainee self-assessment, predict trainee performance in other settings such as certifying examinations, investigate gender bias in assessment); and (3) Articles briefly mentioned short-term outcomes of CCCs at the level of the trainees, faculty, and programs. However, most studies described interventions to aid CCC work and did not specifically aim at investigating short-term (eg, curriculum changes) or long-term outcomes (eg, improved patient outcomes). Conclusions CCCs fulfill a range of roles in assessment beyond their intended purpose. A more systematic approach is needed to investigate the outcomes of CCC implementation on GME.
McGee RG, Wark S, Mwangi F, et al. Digital learning of clinical skills and its impact on medical students' academic performance: a systematic review. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):1477. Keywords: Clinical skills; Digital learning; Medical education; Pedagogy.
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Abstract
Background: The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid development and implementation of digital methods for teaching clinical skills in medical education. This systematic review presents both the benefits, challenges, and effectiveness of this transition.

Methods: A systematic search of six electronic databases (SCOPUS, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC & Informit) was conducted on 1st October 2023 and updated on 1st April 2024 to identify peer- reviewed articles, from 2019 onwards, which used any type of digital tool (online or otherwise) to teach clinical skills to medical trainees (undergraduate or postgraduate) and were published in English language. The primary outcome synthesised was the reported effectiveness of these digital tools in the development of clinical skills. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment With Diverse Studies (QuADS) tool.

Results: Twenty-seven studies involving 3,895 participants were eligible for inclusion in this review. The QuADS quality assessment scores ranged from 22 to 35, indicating medium quality and thirteen of the studies were randomized trials. Overall, digital teaching of clinical skills demonstrated improved or comparable outcomes to in-person teaching. There was a beneficial effect of digital learning tools on assessment outcomes, with meta-analysis showing a mean difference increase of 1.93 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.64), albeit with a high amount of statistical heterogeneity I2 97%, P < 0.001. Digital clinical skills teaching also resulted in improved student satisfaction scores in many situations and was also shown in one study to be cost effective.

Conclusion: Teaching of clinical skills using digital tools is an important alternative to the traditional format of face-to-face delivery, which is resource intensive and difficult to implement during a pandemic. This review demonstrates their potential efficacy in improving education outcomes, student satisfaction and potentially reducing costs. However, the integration of traditional and innovative digital teaching methods appeared to provide the most comprehensive learning experience. Future research could focus on longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact and efficacy of different digital and blended learning modalities on the acquisition of clinical skills and professional competencies.

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Learn@ANZCA

Learn@ANZCA (formerly Networks) is the college's learning management system.

ANZCA educators program The AEP has been developed as a practical teaching course to support all clinicians who have a teaching role and particularly those who work with trainees, including supervisors, fellows and senior trainees. The course will prepare you with the appropriate knowledge and skills in educational principles to facilitate learning and teach with results in the anaesthetic and pain medicine environment.
FPM: Better Pain Management The Better Pain Management program has been designed for those engaged in the care of patients with persistent pain. FPM trainees may find these modules to be a useful resource for consolidating their learning. ANZCA Fellows and trainees may also find this program to be helpful in extending an interest in pain topics.
Supervisor of training induction course This course is designed to be an interactive guide for new supervisors of training orientating themselves to the role. These modules explore key functions and responsibilities of an SOT including conducting effective workplace based assessments, navigating pathways for supporting trainees as well as guidance on what to do in situations around bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment.
Fundamentals of feedback Comprised of seven e-learning modules - including an introductory module - designed to up-skill and support you to have effective feedback conversations in all aspects of your daily practice, the Fundamentals of Feedback course is designed to introduce you to a conversational framework that may be applied to feedback conversations, both clinical and simulated settings.

Related courses

ANZCA Educators Program (AEP)
This is an interactive five module course, delivered over 1.5 days, designed to equip anaesthetists and faculty of pain medicine specialists with the knowledge and skills to be competent clinical teachers.
FPM: Better Pain Management Program
The FPM Better Pain Management program has been designed for specialist and general medical practitioners, medical students, nurses and allied health practitioners engaged in the care of patients with persistent pain.

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