Research

We have extensive experience of conducting research across a range of themes within health professions education:

Assessment: Including both undergraduate and postgraduate graduate assessments, this research area includes self-assessment, multi-source feedback, undergraduate assessments, progress testing, workplace-based assessments, postgraduate membership assessments and assessments for international practice.

Interprofessional learning: Featuring educational interventions to facilitate interprofessional learning and its assessment, the ultimate aim is to drive collaboration with healthcare professionals from other disciplines and improve teamwork for the benefit of patients.

Preparedness for practice and transitions: Including the transition period from school to senior practitioner, this theme focuses on key times of change and responsibilities.

Education interventions: Evaluation of teaching methods (e.g. case-based learning, learning communities and novel approaches to psychiatry teaching).

Curricula: The development, review and evaluation of curriculum change, including a series of interventions which are grouped to achieve and facilitate a particular approach to facilitate learning.

Digital learning: Designing effective online learning environments, harnessing generative artificial intelligence for learning and innovative technology-enhanced learning.

Feedback: With a focus on both giving and receiving feedback, this theme includes structured and informal approaches, verbal and written feedback, quantitative and qualitative data and explores actions following receiving feedback.

Simulation: Covering a wide range of interventions, from single-skill or behaviour acquisition to rehearsal of clinical skills, behaviours and decision-making in a simulated environment.

Communication skills: Teaching undergraduates how to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues, this theme includes taking a clinical history, use of particular communication approaches, patient centredness and shared decision-making and the exploration of communication failures.

Healthcare management: Healthcare management education with a focus in the development of management and leadership competencies.

Professionalism: Including the teaching and assessment of professionalism, this theme features the legal and ethical frameworks that define professional behaviours.

You can find RCSI publications in health professions education here.

If you have any queries regarding our research, please email hpec@rcsi.ie.