Evaluation of a masters programme in medical education

Introduction: There is increasing demand for training in education for health professions’ educators. Few studies, however, have focussed on the effectiveness of such training. This paper evaluates a Masters programme in medical education offered by the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Methodology: A postal questionnaire was sent to 68 Masters graduates worldwide who graduated between 1989 and 1998 and 53(78%) replied. The mean time from graduation to completing the questionnaire was 4.2 years. They were asked a series of questions about the impact of the Masters on various aspects of their personal and professional development, research and teaching roles.

Results: Graduates had taken on new posts and responsibilities, perceived a positive influence on their personal and professional development, undertook new teaching roles at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and had became involved in educational research. Many reported an impact at institutional and some at national level.

Discussion: This is the first publication to show the perceived impact of a Masters qualification in medical education on career development. The study complements the findings of others on changes in teaching, but additionally found increased motivation for educational research. Teacher training can be delivered effectively through distance learning and this approach may be more efficient than providing multiple individual institutional programmes repeated many times over.