A new opportunity for Egyptian health professions educators

Abstract

Context and setting In Egypt, health professions education (HPE) is practised by health professionals who have no formal training in education. Faculty members are the cornerstone of the educational process. To enhance HPE, the Egyptian National Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization (EMRO-WHO) recommended that an urgent plan should be developed for training HPE faculty staff in medical education. Why the idea was necessary In order to access training in medical education, the only option for potential trainees was to leave their employment for expensive on-site educational programmes offered either regionally or abroad. To make an impact on HPE in Egypt, it was critical to develop more affordable and accessible opportunities for educating larger numbers of faculty in HPE. What was done The newly established Medical Education Department in the Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, developed a distance learning diploma in HPE that covers all the medical education domains. This programme is sponsored by the WHO and targets a wide range of faculty staff in all HPE institutions in Egypt, including those in faculties of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy and speech therapy. Faculty recruited to teach in this diploma programme are qualified and have substantial experience in medical education. Twenty, including three from other institutions in Egypt, have Masters degrees in medical education from a number of internationally recognised medical schools. The diploma is composed of seven modules, each taught in 6-week blocks. Topics include curriculum development, student assessment, teaching and learning skills, programme evaluation, and quality assurance in HPE. The programme also addresses and encourages interprofessional learning. The programme is run through a dedicated website that includes a Blackboard e-learning space. The diploma programme was announced through newspaper advertisements, mass e-mails, flyers and brochures. This resulted in a rush of applications from a number of medical, dental, pharmacy and nursing schools in Egypt. A total of 38 candidates from 15 different institutions were selected for the first cohort of entrants and other applications were postponed to subsequent years. Evaluation of results and impact When the planning of the seven modules had been completed, a number of regional, national and international experts in medical education validated the diploma curriculum. The Medical Sector of the Supreme Council of Universities has endorsed the diploma course and recognised its certificate as representative of the only formal course in medical education in Egypt that is taught through distance learning. The 5-year goal of the programme is to train 5% of HPE faculty across the country. The diploma curriculum is designed to ensure that the alumni of this programme will educate other educators in their institutions and make a real impact on HPE in Egypt.