I am delighted to be able announce a new CRADALL research project funded through a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant.

 

Thirty-seven percent of doctors in the UK completed their qualifying medical education outside of the UK. While the NHS has 'relied heavily on the skills and dedication' of non-UK doctors, to the extent that 'the service could not have been sustained without their contribution' (General Medical Council, 2011, p. 31), it is the negative cases, the mistakes of non-UK educated doctors and their 'deficiencies' which are highlighted (Slowther et al, 2009). Employers play a critical role in the regulation of medical services, having responsibility for assessing medical and linguistic competency of doctors (GMC, 2011, p. 26).The study explores two issues: (1) how employers of doctors assess a doctor’s professional knowledge; and (2) how medical professional knowledge is impacted by incorporating the practices of non-UK doctors.  Drawing on practice-based theories of professional learning (Gherardi, 2001), this qualitative study will involve 15 interviews with employers of doctors in Edinburgh and Leeds.