Twelve tips for studying medical education at doctoral level

Medical educators increasingly need to develop their research skills to produce robust medical education research, resulting in publication. This need has fueled rising enrollment of medical educators on doctoral programmes and the proliferation of courses, each with its own strengths and weaknesses which need to be considered before making a commitment to a long period of study.

We aimed to provide advice about the important steps in studying for a doctorate in medical education, from the decision to undertake the doctorate, through the practicalities of engaging supervisors and choosing research questions, to what to do after the doctorate is completed.

Critical reflection upon our experiences of studying for each type of medical education doctorate (the PhD, the MD and the EdD), combined with evidence from the literature where available.

The journey to achieving a doctorate in medical education can be long and bumpy with periods of disbelief and despondency. By being realistic and honest with oneself at the outset, analysing one's motivations, deciding which of the different types of doctorate best suits one's needs, finding an appropriate supervisor, creating a researchable question and getting the right support both from one's supervisor and your peers, the journey can be made manageable and even enjoyable.