Education and teaching

UK medical education is recognised globally for producing highly skilled graduates. While all medical schools meet national standards, each offers its own approach to course structure, placements, and teaching style.

This diversity prepares students to succeed across a wide range of healthcare settings and is a key reason why UK medical education remains world-leading. 

Leaders in medical education

We support several policy groups dedicated to improving all aspects of medical education and training. This work is overseen by the Education Leads, medical school experts who specialise in education and curriculum development, ensuring graduates gain the skills and knowledge needed to become future doctors.

The Education Leads focus on key areas, including:

  • curriculum mapping
  • setting criteria for reasonable adjustments
  • supporting career pathways for medical graduates

Surveying medical schools

The Education Leads Advisory Group (ELAG) is responsible for reviewing requests to distribute surveys, questionnaires and curricula updates to medical schools and medical students. 

ELAG review process
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ELAG application form
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If your application is successful, your survey or questionnaire will be shared with education leads at UK medical schools. However, distribution to target groups (e.g. students) is at their discretion. Typically, surveys not approved by ELAG are not circulated. Due to high volume, MSC cannot send reminder emails.

FAQs

  • How often are applications reviewed?

    ELAG reviews applications once per month. Researchers should keep in mind that, due to the volume of applications, it may take 6-8 weeks to review applications. Researchers will be kept informed with the progress of their application. In extraordinary circumstances, applications may be expedited. Any deadlines should be highlighted when an application is submitted.

  • What are the potential outcomes of a review?
    1. ELAG supports distribution of the survey or questionnaire. Researchers will be informed of this outcome and, following confirmation, this will be distributed to education leads without changes.
    2. ELAG provisionally supports distribution of the survey or questionnaire subject to changes/ethics approval. Researchers will be provided with feedback on any changes required, and following approval of these by ELAG the survey will be distributed.
    3. ELAG does not support distribution of the survey or questionnaire. The group does not feel that the research is appropriate in its current format for distribution to education leads by MSC. Researchers can appeal this decision but must provide a narrative to support this with any changes made.

    Should an application be successful, the survey or questionnaire will be distributed to the education leads for each UK medical school, but it will only be cascaded to the relevant group (e.g. students) at their discretion. In general, local education leads will not circulate surveys which are not approved by ELAG. Due to the volume of requests, MSC is unable to send survey reminders.

Further reading
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