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Professionalisation or Credentialism? Fifteen-Year Enrolment Trends in the UK Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Education.

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Title: Professionalisation or Credentialism? Fifteen-Year Enrolment Trends in the UK Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Education.
Authors: Bowker M; School of Medicine, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK., Williams L; School of Medicine, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK., Atkinson M; School of Medicine, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK., Tiplady C; School of Medicine, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK.; Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northumberland, UK.
Source: The clinical teacher [Clin Teach] 2026 Oct; Vol. 23 (5), pp. e70527.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Blackwell Pub Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101227511 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1743-498X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17434971 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Clin Teach Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Oxford, UK : Blackwell Pub., c2004-
MeSH Terms: Education, Medical, Graduate*/statistics & numerical data , Education, Medical, Graduate*/trends , Education, Medical, Graduate*/standards , Professionalism*/standards , Credentialing* , Certification*, United Kingdom ; Humans ; State Medicine
Abstract: Background: Postgraduate qualifications for clinical educators have proliferated internationally, raising questions about whether this reflects professionalisation or a credentialist response to competitive specialty selection. Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Education (PGCMEs) are established in the United Kingdom (UK), yet no published data describe enrolment over time. This research determined PGCME enrolment trends in the UK universities from 2010 to 2024 and interpreted them against this framing.
Methods: Freedom of Information requests were sent to all the UK public universities offering PGCMEs (n = 40), requesting annual enrolment figures. We obtained contextual data on the National Health Service (NHS) workforce size, specialty training competition ratios and application scoring from the NHS England and archived recruitment websites.
Findings: A total of 36 universities (90%) responded. Courses more than doubled (13 in 2010-2011 to 29 in 2024-2025); student numbers rose 41% (1180-1667). Enrolments were stable through the 2010s, jumped in 2020-2021 (1082-1894), then settled at 1600-1700. Against the NHS England workforce, the proportion of doctors enrolled held at about 1%. Training competition rose: general practice ratios from 1.70 to 3.67 and internal medicine training (IMT) from 2.55 to 3.69. The PGCME's IMT scoring weight doubled from 4.7% to 10%.
Conclusion: PGCME provision has grown, but enrolment has not outpaced the expanding medical workforce. The 2020 spike likely reflects pandemic-era online access and scoring reforms. Aggregate data cannot tell us whether holders teach afterwards or move straight into specialty training, how they funded their studies, whether they completed or what proportion are doctors.
(© 2026 The Author(s). The Clinical Teacher published by Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
References: Future Healthc J. 2025 Nov 12;12(4):100487. (PMID: 41378360)
High Educ (Dordr). 2021;81(3):623-641. (PMID: 32836334)
Clin Teach. 2022 Aug;19(4):299-307. (PMID: 35397149)
Med Teach. 2023 Jun;45(6):559-564. (PMID: 36622887)
BMC Med Educ. 2018 Jan 5;18(1):6. (PMID: 29304801)
Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2018 Aug;23(3):567-585. (PMID: 29453732)
BMC Med Educ. 2017 Mar 23;17(1):62. (PMID: 28335820)
BMC Med Educ. 2019 Jul 5;19(1):247. (PMID: 31277625)
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Mar 1;24(1):213. (PMID: 38429703)
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Apr 14;23(1):242. (PMID: 37060013)
Med Teach. 2000;22(5):517-26. (PMID: 21271967)
J Grad Med Educ. 2018 Apr;10(2):119-122. (PMID: 29686748)
Postgrad Med J. 2025 Apr 22;101(1195):481-486. (PMID: 39591525)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Freedom of Information; clinical education; credentialism; educator training; medical education; postgraduate certificate; workforce
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260920 Date Completed: 20260920 Latest Revision: 20260923
Update Code: 20260923
PubMed Central ID: PMC13590414
DOI: 10.1111/tct.70527
PMID: 42764243
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: Professionalisation or Credentialism? Fifteen-Year Enrolment Trends in the UK Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Education.
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  Data: Background: Postgraduate qualifications for clinical educators have proliferated internationally, raising questions about whether this reflects professionalisation or a credentialist response to competitive specialty selection. Postgraduate Certificates in Medical Education (PGCMEs) are established in the United Kingdom (UK), yet no published data describe enrolment over time. This research determined PGCME enrolment trends in the UK universities from 2010 to 2024 and interpreted them against this framing.<br />Methods: Freedom of Information requests were sent to all the UK public universities offering PGCMEs (n = 40), requesting annual enrolment figures. We obtained contextual data on the National Health Service (NHS) workforce size, specialty training competition ratios and application scoring from the NHS England and archived recruitment websites.<br />Findings: A total of 36 universities (90%) responded. Courses more than doubled (13 in 2010-2011 to 29 in 2024-2025); student numbers rose 41% (1180-1667). Enrolments were stable through the 2010s, jumped in 2020-2021 (1082-1894), then settled at 1600-1700. Against the NHS England workforce, the proportion of doctors enrolled held at about 1%. Training competition rose: general practice ratios from 1.70 to 3.67 and internal medicine training (IMT) from 2.55 to 3.69. The PGCME's IMT scoring weight doubled from 4.7% to 10%.<br />Conclusion: PGCME provision has grown, but enrolment has not outpaced the expanding medical workforce. The 2020 spike likely reflects pandemic-era online access and scoring reforms. Aggregate data cannot tell us whether holders teach afterwards or move straight into specialty training, how they funded their studies, whether they completed or what proportion are doctors.<br /> (© 2026 The Author(s). The Clinical Teacher published by Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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  Data: Future Healthc J. 2025 Nov 12;12(4):100487. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2241378360%22">41378360)</searchLink><br />High Educ (Dordr). 2021;81(3):623-641. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2232836334%22">32836334)</searchLink><br />Clin Teach. 2022 Aug;19(4):299-307. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2235397149%22">35397149)</searchLink><br />Med Teach. 2023 Jun;45(6):559-564. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2236622887%22">36622887)</searchLink><br />BMC Med Educ. 2018 Jan 5;18(1):6. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229304801%22">29304801)</searchLink><br />Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2018 Aug;23(3):567-585. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229453732%22">29453732)</searchLink><br />BMC Med Educ. 2017 Mar 23;17(1):62. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2228335820%22">28335820)</searchLink><br />BMC Med Educ. 2019 Jul 5;19(1):247. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2231277625%22">31277625)</searchLink><br />BMC Med Educ. 2024 Mar 1;24(1):213. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2238429703%22">38429703)</searchLink><br />BMC Med Educ. 2023 Apr 14;23(1):242. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2237060013%22">37060013)</searchLink><br />Med Teach. 2000;22(5):517-26. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2221271967%22">21271967)</searchLink><br />J Grad Med Educ. 2018 Apr;10(2):119-122. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229686748%22">29686748)</searchLink><br />Postgrad Med J. 2025 Apr 22;101(1195):481-486. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239591525%22">39591525)</searchLink>
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