PCH Anaesthesia and RCOA Primary MCQ Examination Fellow

Job overview

This is a new and exciting opportunity for a post Primary FRCA candidate with an interest in education and assessment.

The post is for a period of one year initially, renewable by mutual consent. The successful candidate will work flexibly within the Department of Anaesthesia and for the RCOA Exams Department under the supervision of the Chair of the Primary MCQ also based in Peterborough.

The Fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with the RCOA Primary Examiners and RCOA Examinations Department, under local supervision by the Chair of the Primary MCQ Group. You will work closely with the leads of the FRCA Primary Written Core Group providing valuable advice and a trainee perspective on single best answer (SBA) content, design and paper setting.

You will be funded by the RCOA to undertake a 1 year part-time Post Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Medical Education. If you have already completed a PGCert or PGDip in Medical Education, you may use the funding to continue your studies with the next level of the same course (PGDip or Masters)

Main duties of the job

As the Primary MCQ Examinations Fellow, you will provide on-call cover on the Senior Tier Rota (CT3 and above; 1 in 8) which involves providing support to the theatre, obstetric and critical care on call teams. Further training and supervision will be available as needed and required. Your normal working day shifts will be dedicated to RCOA Primary Examination Fellow duties, which can be performed remotely.

Your Fellowship duties will include tasks relating to development and maintenance of the Primary MCQ, focused around the planned changes to the exam. This will include: finalising the exam blueprint, creation of question resources, SBA question writing and editing (training provided), and advising on/assisting with management of the SBA bank. Other potential projects can be discussed with the Chair, including development of content for affiliate examiners, development of resources for exam candidates, and evaluation/assurance projects related to the Primary MCQ.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role will involve review of live Primary Exam questions; the successful candidate will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and will be responsible for ensuring that they maintain the integrity of the dataset.

The RCOA Fellow duties are intended to allow flexible working. Some travel to the College in Red Lion Square, London may be required (approximately 4-5 individual days per year, expenses paid).

The successful candidate will be responsible to the Lead Clinician for Anaesthesia and accountable to the Chief Executive at NWAFT. The successful candidate will be responsible to the Chair of the Primary FRCA Written Exam and accountable to the Director of Education, Training and Examinations at the Royal College of Anaesthetists.