The Role of Educational Supervisors
Educational supervisors undertake the day to day, hands on training of trainees in any aspect of the curriculum. In relation to the ATSMs, the Educational Supervisor must have the clinical skill in the area being taught and for that reason some non medical staff such as midwives and ultrasonographers are considered Educational Supervisors.
The recommendation in order to increase the training opportunities in ATSMs is that ‘educational supervisors’ are recommended to the local STC for approval and that self-nomination is acceptable.
The role of Preceptors
Preceptors will be responsible for the local provision of their respective ATSM and will ensure that the appropriate educational support is provided and that assessments are performed. Where the ATSM requires course attendance, the Preceptor will decide upon the suitability of courses with reference to the ATSM suggested course syllabus. The preceptors in a deanery will report to the ATSM Director. The preceptor will be responsible for the quality control of this element of advanced training. Each Deanery or School will have a preceptor responsible for each ATSM. Large training programmes may require more than one person for this role, particularly in the more common ATSMs.
Consultants with expertise in the clinical area or who are members of the relevant Specialist Society may self -
nominate to the local STC or School to become an ATSM Preceptor. The Preceptor should co-ordinate the delivery of the ATSM across the region; liaise with colleagues in the specialty to ensure that both the ATSM and the core curriculum are delivered without conflict or adverse service impact. The preceptor will be responsible for ensuring that the workplace based assessments required by the ATSM curriculum are performed, and he or she will sign these off with all other supporting evidence of progress for submission to the ARCP process.
Where there are few training opportunities in small ATSMs, it would be sensible for deaneries to co-operate and appoint one person as preceptor working across the regions.
Similarly, large modules may result in significant workloads for individuals and Deaneries or Schools may wish to have more than one preceptor for a module. In the situation where a trainee has more than one preceptor over the time period of ATSM training, it is recommended that the preceptor who is responsible for the final part of the ATSM training undertake the final assessment and sign the completion form. The preceptors for the ATSMs in a deanery should report to an individual on the local STC, the ATSM Director.
Role of the ATSM Director
This is a key role within the deanery. This individual should have prior experience of postgraduate education and training and be a member of the school board or equivalent training committee. It will be the ATSM Director who will be aware of the training opportunities within the region and coordinate trainee attachments in order for the trainees to fulfil their ATSM training attachments. This individual must take responsibility for the quality control of all the ATSMs by being responsible for the standards and the delivery of training.
They will be the link between the deanery and the RCOG for this remit. RCOG registration forms require the signature of the Director to ensure that this individual is aware of any training request made by a trainee.
Trainees will be advised to contact ATSM Director to seek career guidance and the availability of training opportunities.