Educational Supervisor

Educational Supervisors (ES) and Associate Educational Supervisors (AES) play an important part in the development of trainees enrolled onto Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training (PMST).

The Educational Supervisor

The ES is responsible to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM) and the Lead Postgraduate Dean for supervising and monitoring trainees' performance. The ES should maintain adequate records of interactions with the trainee, including competency assessments and appraisals. The ES will normally be the trainee's medical manager and work at the same site.

The ES must be a registered doctor with a licence to practice and be an experienced pharmaceutical physician. Please read the full essential criteria to be an ES.

The Associate Educational Supervisor

The AES perfofrms the same role and has the same responsibilities as an ES, and can act as a signatory on PMST documents and attend ARCP meetings with his/her respective trainees. The one difference however, is that the sign-off oducuments ('Training Logs') will need to be counter-signed by the ES or Senior Specialty Adviser.

The Specialty Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Medicine (SAC-PM) of the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) created the role of the AES so that managers who are not medically qualified could supervise their trainees.

The essential criteria for the AES is similar to the ES except the AES has to hold a scientiic qualification and needs to identify an ES who will counter-sign the trainee's Training Logs.

Becoming an Educational Supervisor or an Associate Educational Supervisor

It is a regulatory requirement that before a pharmaceutical physician or a non-medic can become an ES or an AES, they must be approved by the SAC-PM.

To be approved as an ES or an AES the pharmaceutical physician or non-medic must submit an application to the SAC-PM and attend the FPM's ES induction session before full approval is granted.

Before you submit your application please read the essential criteria for ESs and the essential criteria for AESs. If you are a pharmaceutical phyisician please complete the ES application form, and for non-medics please complete the AES application form.

Standards for Educational Supervisors and Associate Educational Supervisors

The standards for ESs and AESs are set out in domain 6 of the General Medical Council's The Trainee Doctor: Foundation and specialty, including GP training. However, ESs and AESs should be familiar with all the standards set out in the this document.

ESs and AESs should also familiarise themselves with the Governance of Specialty Training in Pharmaceutical Medicine, which details the roles and responsibilities of the National Deanery for Pharmaceutical Medicine, trainees, ESs and AESs.

Further training for Educational Supervisors and Associate Educational Supervisors

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in collaboration with the FPM are running the second iteration of the Effective Educational Supervisor in Pharmaceutical Medicine programme.

This is a two-phased programme, which on successful completion will lead to the attendee receiving accreditation from the RCP as an Educational Supervisor. Please visit the RCP's website for more details about the programme and to book online.