Welcome to the Medical Education Department, CMC Vellore!
The Medical Education Department (MED) situated in the CMC college campus, Bagayam offers faculty development programs in various areas of medical education. Many intramural and extramural faculty have been trained by the department to bring about educational reforms in their institution. In addition to the faculty development programs, the department also contributes to the field of medical education through curriculum reforms and educational research.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recognized the department as the NMC Regional centre for national faculty development and the NMC Nodal centre for advance course in medical education.
Keeping in alignment with the NMC mandate, the national needs and the needs of the institution, the goals and objectives of the unit are:
Goals
3. To contribute towards developing the field of health professions education in India
Objectives
• evaluation of existing educational programs/ courses
• spearhead research in education
6. To network and work in partnership with others in the field of health professions education within and outside India
About Us
In CMC, there has been a long tradition of faculty and student development in education. Faculty development programs as well as other educational programs have been conducted since 1997.
The Medical Council of India in 1997 mandated that each medical college should have a medical education unit, which would be responsible for the following:
Several activities pertaining to improvement in medical education had been taking place by interested faculty and the principals including former principals Dr. Bhooshanam V and Dr Ravi Korula. However, these were not formally under a specified unit.
Keeping in alignment with the MCI mandate and the needs of the institution, the medical education cell was constituted in November 2002 by the principal, Dr. J.P. Muliyil.
The medical education cell evolved and was established as the Medical Education Unit (MEU) in 2009 by the principal, Dr George Mathew.
The MEU in its present form grew out of the initiative of an all women group (some of whom had participated in the National Teachers Training Course conducted by JIPMER, Pondicherry) which led to the initiation of faculty development courses in Medical Education Technology (MET), which have now become mandatory for our entire faculty. Over the years the MEU has developed through the dedication and valuable contributions from faculty members formally trained in the field of medical education through basic course in Medical Education Technology, Advance course in Medical Education, Fellowship in Medical Education through FAIMER (Foundation for Advancement of International Medical education and Research) and Masters degree in Health Professions Education.
The MED aims to provide a culture in which education is based on scientific principles in addition to being an art. It aims to help faculty develop their potential as good educators. It is an advisory and facilitator body that encourages excellence in education in the institution.
The department is headed by the Principal, has one Convenor, two Co- Convenors and faculty members from various disciplines in the medical college. The office is located in the college campus behind the auditorium while all programs are conducted in the common facilities of CMC Vellore available for such purposes.
Other roles of the department are to provide
Workshops conducted by the Medical Education Department are
Post Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine for recent MBBS Graduates (PGDFM for recent MBBS Graduates)
PGDFM for recent MBBS Graduates Course Prospectus 2025
PGDFM for recent MBBS Graduates Course Application 2025
The Post Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (PGDFM) course is a diploma awarded by CMC, Vellore for MBBS graduates with the aim to enable the graduates to equip themselves with primary and secondary level healthcare while also availing the institutional educational opportunities.
This distance education courses of 18 months duration which includes three contact programs will commence from 1st June and end on 30th December. This course consists of 27 Distance Learning Modules provided with an online formative e-assessment at the end of each module. Every student is expected to maintain a logbook to document the procedures/clinical skills done in their service obligation hospitals/Mission Hospitals. As part of this course, the students are expected to submit a project work which should be a service improvement project to improve the local needs of the hospital. On successful completion of the course the candidates will be awarded with PGDFM certificate from our institution.
Basic Course in Medical Education (BCME)
The Basic Course in Medical Education was envisaged by the NMC to emphasize on competencies in a move towards Competency Based Medical Education. Its foundations are based on adult learning principles in an interactive format to help participants develop knowledge and skills in competencies
pertaining to the curriculum of undergraduate medical education, teaching, learning and student assessment in a milieu of competency based medical education. This is envisaged to equip the participants with the required skills to not only train in house faculty but also be able to transition into the implementation of competency based medical education in their respective institutions and departments.
The course aims to help the faculty develop the knowledge and skills in principles and application of education technology to bring about the educational reforms. Thus this workshop is aimed at faculty who can take on leadership roles and be agents of change in their institutions.
Curriculum Implementation Support Program (CISP)
The Medical Education Department conducts the Curriculum Implementation Support Programme (CISP) for MEU Coordinators/ CC Members/ MEU Resource faculty for affiliated medical colleges and faculties of CMC Vellore. The National Medical Commission (NMC) implemented the CBME (Competency Based Medical Education) curriculum for medical students in 2019. CISP I was started for the Preclinical departments from 2019 and CISP II from 2021 for Para clinical teachers CISP III for clinical department faculties. This workshop has been initiated by NMC to sensitize the faculties in all Phases of the MBBS course on the changes made in the medical curriculum. The workshop helped the participants to understand the framework of implementing an aligned and integrated curriculum across all three phases, concepts of electives, the purpose of early clinical exposure, AETCOM module, training methods mentioned in the GMER, student-doctor methods of clinical teaching, competency acquisition in skills training, principles of assessment, ways to draft teaching and assessment schedule, importance of record maintenance and curricular governance.
Attitude Communication and Ethics (AETCOM)
The sensitization on Attitude, Ethics and Communication (AET-COM) module for Deans/ MEU Coordinator/ Co coordinator/Resource Faculty/Curriculum committee members of 20 affiliated colleges of NMC Nodal Centre for National Faculty Development at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, was conceived by the NMC to sensitize Medical educators on the importance and emphasis of attitudinal and communication components in the teaching of curriculum.
The purpose of this as defined by the NMC was to sensitize the Deans/ MEU Coordinator/ Co coordinator/Resource Faculty/Curriculum committee members of colleges affiliated to the NMC Nodal Center for National Faculty Development at CMC, Vellore and capacitate them towards faculty development to conduct and implement Basic Course in Medical Education and AETCOM in their institutions.
Advance Course in Medical Education
The Advance Course in Medical Education aims to help the faculty develop the advanced knowledge and skills in principles and application of medical education and to attain a certain level of expertise in medical education for quality assurance of the basic courses. There is also a need for medical educators to network.
The purpose of the Advance Course in Medical Education is for the faculty:
1. To improve their knowledge and skills in medical education and apply it for educational reforms.
2. To be able to conduct sessions/ workshops in medical education
Structure
Advance Course in Medical Education is of 6 months’ duration including the following:
a) Contact session I for 5 days and Contact session II for 3 days
b) 6 months comprises of
i) Implementation of an educational project
ii) Participation in online learning and discussion
iii) One-day observation of revised basic course workshop
iv) Participation in online learning and discussion
Post Graduate Medical Education Technology
The postgraduate students in medical colleges in India form a large workforce for the medical college for teaching-learning and assessment of undergraduate medical and other health professional courses run by the medical college. Many of these postgraduate students join medical colleges as teaching faculty soon after graduation. Some of the postgraduate students also have pedagogy as part of their summative assessment for their postgraduate courses. Thus, there is a need for postgraduate students in medical colleges in India to be trained in the basic principles of medical education especially in teaching-learning methods and basics of assessment and to develop competencies in these areas. Recognizing this need, the Medical Education Department conducts a two-day workshop in teaching-learning and assessment for medical postgraduate students in CMC.
Observers to Affiliated Colleges
The NMC requires its nodal and regional centers for National faculty development to supervise the conduct of Basic Course in Medical Education in their affiliated Medical Colleges. The Convener, Co- Conveners and senior faculty of the NMC Nodal/ regional center are deputed by the NMC as NMC observers to oversee the Basic Course in Medical Education in these colleges.
Medical Education Department,
1st Floor, New Examination Building,
Bagayam Campus, Christian Medical College,
Vellore – 632002, Tamil Nadu, South India
Email us :
meu@cmcvellore.ac.in
0416
Mon-Fri: 8 am to 4.30 pm
( Sat : 8 am to 12:30 pm)
