Essential Skills in Medical Education (ESME)

The concept of combining a course covering the essential skills in medical education with an international conference has proved popular. Successful ESME courses have now been run since 2005 in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia. In collaboration with IAMSE, AMEE is pleased to offer the ESME course at the IAMSE 2020 Meeting in Denver, Colorado

With the increasing professionalisation of medical education, the need for faculty in the healthcare professions to have training in teaching is widely recognized. Whilst many institutions worldwide offer Diploma and Masters courses in medical education, there is a lack of accredited basic level courses. The ESME Programme has been designed to meet the need for an entry level teaching qualification. ESME will be of particular interest to faculty who are involved with medical education for the first time, or who have been given some new responsibilities or assignment relating to teaching. Others are finding the ESME Programme useful as a refresher course or update. The course at the IAMSE Meeting is designed to be specifically relevant to medical science educators.
 
The ESME Programme is accredited by AMEE and approved by an international Advisory Board. It has been designed around a set of competencies that all practising teachers should possess. These include: Effective Teaching, Skilled Educational Planning and Informed Assessment and Evaluation.

ESME Course schedule during IAMSE Meeting:

Day 1: Friday June 12 (full-day workshop)
  • Theme 1: The Skilled Educational Planner
  • Theme 2: The Effective Teacher
  • Theme 3: The Informed Assessor/Evaluator
Questions addressed will include:
  • What should the learner learn? (Learning outcomes);
  • How should the learner learn it? (Teaching and learning methods);
  • How should it be organised into a curriculum? (Curriculum planning);
  • How do we know if the learner has learned it? (Assessment).
Day 2: Saturday June 13
ESME participants need to attend one of the Faculty Development Courses or Workshops offered by IAMSE (extra charge)
 
Day 3: Sunday June 14
Attendance at IAMSE Meeting sessions, and a dedicated feedback session with ESME faculty

Day 4: Monday June 15
Attendance at IAMSE Meeting sessions, and a dedicated feedback session with ESME faculty

Day 5: Tuesday June 16
Attendance at IAMSE Meeting sessions, followed by a half-day ESME post-conference workshop. Topics covered in this session are:
  • Discussion of issues raised during the Meeting relating to the three themes and questions introduced on day 1;
  • Theme 4: an introduction to the Roles of the Teacher; the Scholarly Educator and Best Evidence Medical Education; and the Teacher as a Leader;
  • Keeping up to date, and further information on how to obtain the ESME Certificate in Medical Education and how to proceed to the IAMSE Medical Educator Fellowship Program.

ESME Faculty for the Course

Ronald Harden MD, formerly Director of the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee, UK, and currently General Secretary of AMEE and Editor of Medical Teacher;

Aviad Haramati Ph.D, Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE), at Georgetown University Medical Center.
 
Mrs. Pat Lilley is Administrator for the Course.

Cost of the ESME IAMSE Course

The cost of US $650 includes:
  • participation in ESME full-day pre-conference session on Friday;
  • feedback sessions with faculty on Sunday and Monday;
  • post-conference workshop on Tuesday;
  • ESME resource materials, including selected AMEE Guides, in electronic format;
  • award of a Certificate of Attendance;
  • opportunity to submit short report for assessment for ESME Certificate in Medical Education.
Participants must register for the IAMSE Meeting in the normal way, and pay the IAMSE registration fee. In addition, ESME course participants are expected to attend and pay for one IAMSE Faculty Development Course of their choice, depending on availability.

ESME Report leading to ESME Certificate

Following completion of the ESME Course, and after returning to their institutions, participants may choose to submit a short report describing the application of the ESME competencies in their own teaching practice. Submission of a report that meets the required standards will be recognised by award of the ESME Certificate in Medical Education. Completion of the ESME Certificate is a required step for enrolment in the IAMSE Medical Educator Fellowship.