National survey of College Tutors in the UK regarding training in medical education

Background. College Tutors are responsible for the organization of training and should possess the pre-requisite knowledge and skills to facilitate this. Methods. An anonymized survey of anaesthetic College Tutors in the UK was conducted with regard to training in medical education. Results. A response rate of 65.54% was achieved. Around 16% had a formal postgraduate teaching qualification and another 27% were interested in attaining one. However, 84% were of the opinion that formal teaching qualifications were not essential for College Tutors. The more recently appointed College Tutors (< 2 yr experience) had more formal qualifications and thought these were important. Appraisal and assessment courses were considered the most valuable for professional development of the role of the College Tutor, and were identified as challenging. Conclusions. This survey highlights that training in medical education for College Tutors is inadequate. It is the responsibility of the Colleges and the Postgraduate Deans to ensure College Tutors are supported appropriately to develop the knowledge and skills required for the role.