Become a Patient Experience Partner (PEP)

"I felt the (patient-led) session was incredibly useful and one of the most valuable teaching experiences I have had at university. It would have been very hard to find opportunities to be taught this from scratch on placement." Student, Women’s and Reproductive Health

Do you have experience as a patient or carer you’d like to share with medical students? Become a Patient Experience Partner (PEP) to help educate the doctors of the future. 

Why does patient experience matter? 

At Oxford, students have limited contact with patients in the first three (pre-clinical) years. Although they meet patients on the wards in years 4-6 (clinical course), the opportunity to interact with patients in a learning environment – or read or hear about their personal experiences in case-studies or videos – is invaluable.

Patient stories help students understand the reality of health conditions. Meeting and talking to patients, or getting feedback from them, develops their ability to talk about difficult subjects and learn how to work in partnership with families to manage care.

What is the Patient Experience Partner panel?

“I hope sharing my personal experience with students makes them more likely to deliver personalised care that will improve patients’ outcomes and quality of life when they graduate.” Sophie Banks, Patient Experience Partner

 The Patient Experience Partner panel is a group of around 40 patients and carers who have agreed to be PEPs. We have regular online meetings to which everyone is invited, and face-to-face training sessions for particular activities.

What do PEPs do?

PEPs are also involved in all aspects of medical education, including:

• Teaching: PEPs are involved in teaching, from directly teaching students in lectures to sharing their experience through case-studies or videos.
• Assessment and selection: PEPs give feedback to students (and potential students) in admission interviews and informal assessments. PEPs also help set interview questions and design assessment scenarios. 
• Governance: PEPs help keep the medical school accountable to patients by sitting on some of the Committees which oversee aspects of running the school.
• Curriculum development: PEPS can advise on what students need to know, and are taught.

PEPs are invited to express an interest in a particular opportunity. The most appropriate PEP for the activity will then be selected, trained and supported for the task.

How much time does it take?

There is no minimum time commitment. Some PEPs are involved for a few hours every few months while others are involved in activities which take much more time.

What kind of people do you need?

We need people with all type of health experience, and from all backgrounds and ethnic groups. If you are a community leader, or have particular health experience to share, we’d love to hear from you!

What do I get out of it?

Most PEPs find it interesting and rewarding. We also compensate you for your time (£25 an hour) for agreed activities.

What difference will it make?

Getting involved will make a small but important difference to how the doctors of the future are trained. We hope that doctors with more understanding of patient needs will be better doctors and deliver better care.

I’m interested. What Happens next?

• Please email us to say you are interested. This does not commit you to anything!
• We’ll arrange to have a chat online or by phone to tell you more and find out about you.
• If you decide you want to go ahead, we’ll ask you to fill in our ‘Confidentiality and Joining Form’ and add you to our email list.
• We’ll email you about upcoming meetings and other opportunities

Please email: noemi.roy@smbms.ox.ac.uk or louie.fooks@smbms.ox.ac.uk