RCP college tutors (CTs) and associate college tutors (ACTs) provide valuable and important support to the RCP, their trust and health education board by overseeing and supporting trainees through their education and training.
RCP CTs and ACTs are professionally responsible to the RCP and the local education and training board (LETB) but are managerially responsible to their trust. Many trusts and LETBs also produce CT and ACT role descriptions. Therefore, the RCP CT role description and RCP ACT role description should be read in conjunction with local documents.
RCP college tutors
RCP college tutors (CTs) provide an educational leadership role. Their responsibilities include:
- promoting education within their directorate
- overseeing the training of all postgraduate physician trainees
- ensuring high-quality training for core medical trainees (CMT) and higher specialty trainees
- supporting the educational supervision process for CMTs and, in many trusts, acting as the CMT tutor
- working with their associate college tutors (ACTs) and supporting core and higher specialty trainees.
Please download the full RCP CT role description at the bottom of the page for further details.
RCP associate college tutors
RCP associate college tutors (ACTs) have an important and key role in supporting their local RCP CT. They do this by:
- acting as the link between trainees, the CT and RCP
- providing peer support to, and arranging regular meetings with, their physician trainees
- promoting education amongst trainees and supporting professional development and training
- maintaining regular contact with regional RCP trainee representatives and attending RCP meetings
- representing and championing the RCP within their trust.
Please download the full RCP ACT role description at the bottom of the page for further details.
How to apply
If you would like to become a college tutor or an associate college tutor in your hospital, please download the RCP role description and express your interest to your postgraduate medical education department manager.
Once appointed, please make sure you contact your local regional office manager where there is one to immediately notify them of your appointment. If your region does not currently have an office, please contact RCPTutors@rcp.ac.uk for further information.
RCP Linacre fellow
Dr Shruthi Konda is the RCP’s Linacre fellow, a role focused on the development and leadership of the RCP’s network of college tutors and associate college tutors.
She is responsible for linking their work to that of other regional roles, the RCP’s Trainees Committee and New Consultants Committee representatives, and advocates and champions college tutors’ work within the wider medical workforce.
Shruthi is a consultant respiratory physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital. She graduated from Imperial College London in 2007 and continued with her postgraduate training in respiratory and general medicine at Imperial College, St George’s and the Royal Brompton hospitals. She also has a bachelor’s degree with honours in management and medical sciences from Imperial College Business School, and a postgraduate certificate in medical education.
Alongside her role as a consultant physician, Shruthi is an MRCP PACES examiner and has hosted examinations herself on behalf of the RCP. A dedicated educator, she has worked as foundation training programme director and as an RCP tutor, overseeing around 130 postgraduate medical trainees at a time.
Shruthi is committed to getting the foundations of training right, so that we can produce competent, engaged and enthusiastic doctors who can meet the challenges of tomorrow. Dr Konda is also passionate about issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.
When I think of the RCP, I think about growth: the growth of individuals as they train and develop into the brilliant physicians of tomorrow; the growth of a diverse and inclusive community of healthcare professionals rising to face the challenges of the future. This is what the RCP is all about.
National conference
The RCP runs an annual digital conference for all CTs and ACTs to attend. The programme is devised by the Linacre fellow and provides training, development, ideas and best practice sharing.
The videos below were recorded during the 2022 CT and ACT national conference and provide a taster of what to expect.
Coaching skills - Professor Jo Szram, immediate past RCP Linacre fellow in conversation with Michael Walsh, RCP joint head of education and delivery.
Influencing organisational change and knowing your data - Dr Sarah Logan, RCP medical workforce unit director.