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Researching Medical Education is a one-day conference for all those interested in medical or clinical education research. The conference is designed and run by the Association for the Study of Medical Education’s Education Research Committee. The day is structured into parallel sessions and led by internationally renowned keynote speakers. There are also keynote seminars and discussion groups, research method workshops for new and more experienced researchers and a Masterclass for those studying for higher degrees in medical/healthcare professions education. In addition, there are opportunities to network with your peers and those leading the field in medical education research. The day will be of interest to career researchers, teachers of medical / clinical education research, students studying for Masters or PhDs / EdDs, undergraduate or intercalating students starting education projects or those just keen in gaining a better understanding of educational research.Location: Friends House, 173-177 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2BJ
To get a flavour of the conference, videos and interviews from the 2018 presenters are available in the media area of the ASME website along with Vox Pops from some of the attendees.
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Please note some workshops are now full – please see the workshop descriptors tab for those marked full
Please note some workshops are now full – please see the workshop descriptors tab for those marked full
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RME 2019 Workshop Summaries
To help you choose which sessions to attend, descriptions of each one are below.
Please note: pink tinted ones are suitable for Beginners/Intermediate, blue tinted onesare suitable for Intermediate/Advanced and the grey tinted ones is suitable for all levels
Strand 1a – Beginners/Intermediate – 10:30-12:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Individual and Group Interviews
Dr Janet Lefroy, Keele University School of Medicine
This workshop is aimed at new researchers of Medical Education.
We will cover:
What types of data can you get from individual or group interviews?
How to construct interview guides
How to conduct interviews
The workshop will be interactive using research questions provided by participants as the substrate for discussion and development of interview guides
Strand 1b – Beginners/Intermediate – 1:30-3:00
Getting started in medical education research
Eliot Rees (Keele University & University College London) & Bob McKinley (Keele University)
This workshop is aimed at early career medical educators (including students) who are planning or considering their first research study in medical education.
We will explore how to identify appropriate research questions, different research methodologies, and common pitfalls for new researchers. We will signpost to sources for further detail for individual projects, and general sources of information and support.
We encourage participants to consider an area or research question that they are interested in investigating in advance of the workshop where possible.
Strand 1c – Beginners/Intermediate – 3:30-5:00
Masters Projects – maximising the opportunities and overcoming the challenges
Prof Simon Gay, University of Leicester
Simon is a GP and enthusiastic medical educationalist at the University of Leicester with lots of experience of supervising medical education Masters Projects.
This workshop is aimed at delegates who are considering undertaking a Masters project in medical education or who have recently started their Masters project. There will be ample opportunity to discuss thoughts, ideas, concerns and challenges as well as lots of top tips about how to get the most out of a Masters project.
“…ideas are like chessmen moved forward: they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” (J.W. Von Goethe)
So please come along and discuss your ideas…
Strand 2a – Beginners/Intermediate – 10:30-12:00 – FULLY BOOKED
How to get your papers published in different types of journals
Professor Peter Cantillon, Professor of Primary Care, NUI Galway, Ireland, Dr Samantha Scallan, GP Education Unit, Southampton
Whether you are an experienced author of published papers or a medical educator wanting to see your name on an author list for the first time, this workshop is intended to help you have a more productive and enjoyable experience in successfully submitting your work for publication. The aims are to work interactively to explain how the editorial process works, identify what makes a good academic paper, where to send it and how to respond to reviewers.
Strand 2b – Beginners/Intermediate – 1:30-3:00
Discourse analysis: first thoughts
Dr Esther Murray, Queen Mary University London
‘Discourse Analysis’ is a broad term encompassing a number of approaches to analysing communication whether written, spoken, signed or otherwise expressed. We will use this workshop to consider what that might mean for researchers in medical education. Using artefacts related to Medical Education and practice this workshop will provide the opportunity to perform some preliminary analyses and share our experiences. A broad reading list will be provided for those interested in following up their preferred perspective.
Strand 2c – Beginners/Intermediate – 3:30-5:00
The potential of ethnography in medical education research
Dr Lisa Dikomitis, Keele University
After conducting many years ‘classical’ ethnographic fieldwork among refugees on Cyprus (2003-2009), I shifted my focus to medical education research. I became deeply engaged with clinicians and medical students. Medicine and medical education tends to see itself as a ‘culture of no culture’ (Taylor 2003). What does one do when critical social science thinking clashes with biomedical thinking? How does one challenge biomedical mind-sets that consider the social and cultural aspects of health, and medical education, often as ‘the fluffy stuff’?
In this workshop, I will present a reflexive account of the joys and struggles in engaging with ethnography in medical education research. I will do so by sharing some ethnographic vignettes from my fieldwork and my teaching practice in medical education, with practical tips and tricks. The second half of the workshop will be devoted to an interactive ‘Diamond Nine’ around ethnography in medical education research. This will allow participants to explore the potential of this methodological approach in medical education research, in terms of study design, length, budget, dissemination of findings and implications for practice.
Strand 3a – Intermediate/Advanced – 10:30-12:00
Realist Review
Professor Karen Mattick & Dr Daniele Carrieri, University of Exeter Medical School
In this RME Showcase, we will share our experience and insights, gained through two NIHR-funded projects, of applying a Realist Review method to topics relevant to the medical education field. The first project (now complete) aimed to understand the social and professional factors influencing the antimicrobial prescribing of doctors-in-training, called the IMPACT review; the second project (ongoing) aims to improve understanding of how, why and in what contexts mental health services and support interventions can be designed in order to minimise the negative impacts of providing care on UK doctors’ mental ill-health, called Care Under Pressure. We will provide insights into the realist review process, including key decision points and dilemmas encountered, and encourage participants to ask questions and shape the discussion. We will finish the session with a discussion of what other medical education topics might benefit from a realist review approach and what the downsides or limitations might be.
Strand 3b – Beginners/Intermediate – 1:30-3:00
Writing abstracts and preparing for conferences
Dr Pippa Watson, University of Manchester & Prof Simon Gay, University of Leicester
This workshop is designed for anyone who is submitting work to ASME (or other conferences) and would like to improve their abstracts for submission.
This workshop will be facilitated by members of the Educator Development Committee who are experienced in running learner centred workshops. After a brief introduction highlighting areas to include in an abstract the focus will be on discussion in small groups. The groups will have the opportunity to review abstracts and highlight areas of good practice and where improvements could be made.
Workshop objectives
To understand what sections are important in an educational abstract
To critique abstracts and become familiar with how to write a high quality abstract.
Strand 3c – Beginners/Intermediate – 3:30-5:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Questionnaire Design
Dr Sharon Sneddon, University of Glasgow
Many research studies use questionnaires to gather data as it seems a quick and easy method. Good questionnaire design is the key to collecting useful and meaningful data. This workshop will provide an understanding of the basic concepts, principles, and practices of questionnaire design, as well as considering some of the common issues and pitfalls such as questionnaire format, use of response scales and validity.
Strand 4a – Intermediate/Advanced – 10:30-12:00
Video Reflexive Ethnography
Ms Aimee Charnell, University of Leeds
This workshop will discuss video-reflexive ethnography (VRE), an evolving, post-qualitative, methodology. VRE casts light on routine, yet essential tasks in healthcare, such as handovers, communication, clinics, and ward rounds, and considers team-level optimisation. Research using VRE encompasses three phases, all completed in collaboration with clinicians: video ethnography, clip selection, and video-reflexive sessions. This workshop will consider the origins of VRE and its potential uses in educational research. An interactive discussion will deliberate practical implications (ensuring project acceptability, gaining clinical access and setting up of video cameras), plus ethical approval acquisition when using VRE or similar methodologies/methods.
Strand 4b – Intermediate/Advanced – 1:30-3:00
Learning theory and the unit analysis for research
Prof Clare Morris, Queen Mary University London
The unit of analysis in research is a ‘scholarly creation’ and one that helps inform and shape design decisions. This proposition will be illustrated with reference to three educational schools of thought: cognitive-behavioural, social cultural and cultural historical. Each school of thought has implications for the unit of analysis – be it individuals, communities (of practice) or (activity) systems. The emphasis of the workshop will be on working through the logics of each position when seeking to research learning in clinical workplaces.
Strand 4c – Intermediate/Advanced – 3:30-5:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Combining Multiple Methods
Dr Eliot Rees & Dr David Harrison, University College London
In this showcase Eliot Rees from UCL will discuss the advantages and challenges of combining multiple methods (qualitative and quantitative, primary and secondary, cross-sectional and longitudinal), to examine medical school selection from the perspective of the applicant as part of a National Institute for Health Research funded study.
Strand 5a – Intermediate/Advanced – 10:30-12:00
Situated ethics in medical education research – sweating the real stuff
Prof Anita Berlin, Queen Mary University London
Research ethics are generally seen as a set of common principles which can be applied to a range of investigatory approaches. These have become codified and managed through formal research ethics mechanisms. This workshop seeks to explore another set of ethical issues – those shaped by the diverse situations in with research takes place – so called “situated ethics” (Simons & Usher 2000). This is the messy real stuff that we grapple with in medical education research!
Using vignettes and participants’ experience we will seek to explore situated dilemmas that may arise in different loci of our field:
Faculty stuff:Ownership of project- educators or researchersAuthorship – legitimacy and hierarchy – teachers, students, evaluators, curriculum leaders Student stuffStudents as subjects: insider or outsider research – access to students (Surveyitis Cronica) Inter subjective student research – students researching each other (disclosure/voyeurism)Patient- public stuffTelling stories: Case studies – if it’s ok for teaching is it OK for research/publication?Shaping projects: co-production of the research or the education
Strand 5b – Intermediate/Advanced – 1:30-3:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Analysing data: different perspectives, different approaches, different findings
Dr Alison Steven, University of Northumbria
The ways in which we conceptualise a phenomenon that we are researching and the perspective we take will direct the research methodology, study aims and the analysis that is undertaken.
Thus quite different findings can emerge from the same data depending on the point of departure.
In this workshop, we will explore analysing the same interview data from two different perspectives.
The aim of the workshop is to:
Offer an experience of analysing some data
Facilitate shared discussion around the conceptualisation of phenomenon and the resulting analysis process
Raise awareness of the implications of different methodological an analytical approaches
Illustrate how different starting points can illuminate data in diverse ways offering alternative perspectives
Strand 5c – All Levels – 3:30-5:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Masterclass@RME 2019
Research to influence policy and practice
Dr Kim Walker, ASME & Dr Jo Szram, Royal Brompton & Harefield Trust
The focus of this masterclass is on the potential of research to influence policy and/or practice. To this end we are bringing together a panel of influencers who are curious to learn more about this area of research.
All RME delegates are welcome to attend the Masterclass. Following brief project ‘pitches’ from selected submissions, attendees will have the opportunity to explore the ways their own work has the potential to influence policy and practice.
The Masterclass is NOT intended to be a typical “show and tell” of completed work but to offer everyone who attends the opportunity to focus on research skill development.
Strand 6a – All levels – 10:30-12:00 – FULLY BOOKED
Theory and why you should keep asking why
Prof Pim Teunissen, University of Maastricht
This aim of this workshop is to help early-stage researchers understand how they can connect to theory in their studies. Having a theoretical or conceptual framework to guide one’s research questions, data interpretation and discussion is one of the most challenging aspects of research. Especially in health professions education where the range of relevant theories is very large. In this workshop Pim Teunissen will not present a selection of theories that should be used, instead, he will engage participants in a moderated discussion regarding the questions and processes that will help researchers find the theories or concepts that best fit their interests.
Strand 6b – All levels – 1:30-3:00 – FULLY BOOKED
How theory can be more practical
Prof Tim Dornan & Richard Conn, Queens University Belfast
Many early stage researchers see theory as something that complicates rather than facilitates medical education research. This workshop aims to demystify the role of theory and explore how researchers can use it to increase their work’s value, impact and transferability. Richard Conn and Tim Dornan will ask participants to consider the spectrum of available theories, the considerations in choosing between them, and how theory can support the research process. They will draw on real-world examples in which theory is both used and developed, to enable the research to make sense of the complexity of clinical practice and produce transferable, practically-useful outputs. They will invite participants to discuss problems from their own educational and research practice and consider how theory can help in addressing them.
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Registration for RME 2019 is now closed – details for RME 2020 will be available soon
Delegate Fees
ASME Members
£200
Non Members
£262
F1/F2
£170
PhD Students
£170
Teaching Fellows*
£170
Undergraduate Students
£138
*Teaching Fellows are colleagues taking time out of core or higher specialty training for fixed-term education posts
Please note some workshops are now full – please see the workshop descriptors tab for those marked full
The early bird rates have now finished for RME 2019 – these closed at 5pm, Wednesday 16th October.
To enquire about group bookings, please email events@asme.org.uk
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Masterclass@RME 2019
Research to influence policy and practice
Who should submit?
Submissions are invited from Masters, Doctoral and other early-stage researchers (less than 3 years postgraduate research experience in any research discipline) for Masterclass@RME 2019.
Masterclass Focus
The focus of this masterclass is on the potential of your research to influence policy and/or practice. To this end we are bringing together a panel of influencers who are curious to learn more about your work, allowing you to rehearse the essential skill of making your work accessible to a range of audiences
Who should attend?
All RME delegates are welcome to attend the Masterclass. Following brief project ‘pitches’ from selected submissions, attendees will have the opportunity to explore the ways their own work has the potential to influence policy and practice.
The Masterclass is NOT intended to be a typical “show and tell” of completed work but to offer everyone who attends the opportunity to focus on research skill development.
Submissions
Submissions of work in progress are particularly welcome.
Up to six applicants will be selected to present to the floor in the Masterclass@RME 2019 on the basis of abstract submissions.
Prize
A free conference place for RME 2020 will be offered as a prize for the applicant judged to have best engaged in the Masterclass@RME 2019 as judged by its distinctive features including willingness to engage in opportunities to learn and to support others. This will be awarded at the end of the day by the Chair of the ASME Education Research Committee.
Advice to applicants:
Abstract submissions should include a clear research question with a brief explanation of methodology and methods. The abstract should highlight the potential of the work to influence policy and/or practice. Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words plus author details and abstract title.
Submissions must be received by 5pm, Monday 16th September 2019 via the online submission form (please click the link below). We will aim to notify applicants the outcome of submissions by 4th October 2019.
Successful applicants will be required to register for the RME at the appropriate delegate fee.
During the 90 minute Masterclass@RME 2019 session, each successful applicant will have approximately 5 minutes to present their work in plain English, followed by 5 minutes for questions and feedback. All Masterclass@RME 2019 attendees will then have the opportunity to explore how they can highlight the potential impact of their own research project, in facilitated group work and linked plenary.
The session will be facilitated by experienced education researchers who will select the overall prize winner
Registration deadline has now passed
If you have any questions relating to the Masterclass@RME 2019 please email: events@asme.org.uk
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