Teach for UCSF Certificates

What it is: The Teach for UCSF Certificate Program offers faculty the opportunity to gain in-depth understanding and essential skills as health professional educators and build a network with other educators through in-person sessions. The program is designed based on best practices from the education literature, and integrates anti-racist and anti-oppressive principles.

Who it is for: The Certificate Program primarily targets UCSF faculty, including volunteer clinical professors, for who education is a major part of their career. Select certificates are open to staff and learners as indicated below.

What to expect:  Certificates are offered as day-long sessions and most certificates consist of 2-3 parts, and include an experiential activity to apply learned skills at certificate completion. Details for each certificate can be found below.   Participants should aim to complete all required parts for a certificate within the course of 2 years. CME credit is available. 

How to enroll: Each certificate overview below includes an enrollment link. A UCSF MyAccess account is required. If you don’t have a MyAccess account but teach or supervise UCSF learners, check with the school or program you teach for whether you qualify to become a Volunteer Clinical Professor.  Get started by clicking on the certificates you are interested in! 

Educator Essentials

The Educator Essentials Certificate focuses on essential knowledge and skills that all educators need, and is based on published milestones for educators. Learning objectives incorporate competencies anti-oppressive and anti-racist education practice.  This certificate lays the foundation for participation in the other certificates and prepares educators for an academic career focused on education. Certificate completion requires participation in 2 full day in-person sessions (Part 1 and Part 2, to be taken in order), as well as an experiential activity of your choosing (approximate time commitment 2 hours). 

Topics addressed in this certificate:

  • Learning Environments
  • Foundations of Curriculum Development  
  • Education Strategies 
  • Educator Identity Formation & Professional Development
  • Supporting Learners
  • Assessment Basics
  • Principles of Growth Mindset & Feedback 
  • Educator Well-Being
  • Starting an Educator Portfolio 

Examples of experiential learning activities include a peer teaching observation, crafting learning objectives for a curriculum, creating an evaluation, etc.  

Upcoming Dates

  • April 22, 2024 - Part 1
  • June 5, 2024 - Part 2
  • October 23, 2024 - Part 2

Enroll in Educator Essentials

Simulation Teaching

The simulation teaching certificate provides educators with foundational knowledge about educational theories underpinning the use of simulation, best practices from the simulation literature, and the skills to design and conduct simulation-based teaching sessions, with explicit consideration of strategies to minimize bias and create safe and inclusive learning environments for all.  Certificate completion requires participation in one full day (Part 1) which is the same for all participants and one half day (Part 2) for which participants can choose different tracks. Part 2 includes an experiential component for participants to practice skills they learned. Learners of all levels and staff are welcome to participate in this certificate.

Topics in Part 1:

  • Background and Foundational Simulation Theory
  • Planning and Designing of Simulation Sessions
  • Pre-briefing and Debriefing Simulations 

Upcoming Dates:

  • October 24, 2024 - Part 1
  • June 4, 2025 - Part 1

Enroll in Simulation Teaching

Clinical Teaching

The Clinical Teaching Certificate targets faculty who teach and supervise learners in clinical settings, and who want to gain a deeper understanding of the different educational strategies that promote learning in such settings as well as hone their skills in teaching, supervising and supporting learners in clinical learning environments. This certificate builds on the curriculum of the Educators Essentials Certificate, and prior participation in Educators Essentials or other foundational workshops about learning environment and feedback are strongly recommended to get the most out of this Certificate. Certificate completion requires participation in 2 full day in-person sessions (part 1 and part 2, to be taken in order), as well as an experiential activity of your choosing (approximate time commitment 2 hours). This certificate is open to faculty only.

Topics addressed in this certificate:

  • Clinical Learning Environments 
  • Core Clinical Teaching Tools and Skills
  • Teaching Clinical Reasoning 
  • Assessment and Feedback in the Clinical Setting
  • Challenges in Clinical Teaching 
  • Coaching for Professional Conduct in the Clinical Setting

Upcoming Dates:

  • June 5, 2024 - Part 1
  • October 23, 2024 - Part 2

Enroll in Clinical Teaching

Education Leadership

The Education Leadership Certificate is meant for faculty and staff who are in leadership roles related to education, or are pursuing such roles. Participants will learn about leadership theories and styles, and discover their own strengths as leaders to support others and to engage in change management towards social justice in health professions education. Participants should come with at least a basic understanding of the ways in which systemic oppression and interpersonal bias impact our learning environments and learners, and prior participation in Educators Essentials or other faculty development focused on these topics is strongly encouraged. Certificate completion requires participation in 2 full day in-person sessions (part 1 and part 2, to be taken in order), as well as an experiential activity of your choosing (approximate time commitment 2 hours). This certificate is open to faculty and staff only.

Topics addressed in this certificate

  • Leadership Theories and Styles
  • Discovering Your Leadership Style 
  • Organization of Health Professions Education
  • Project and Time Management
  • Setting a Mission and Vision
  • Principles of Change Management 
  • Change Management Towards Social Justice in Health Professions Education
  • Leading Teams Through Challenges and Conflict
  • Finding Joy and Maintaining Wellbeing as a Leader
  • Coaching Others

Upcoming Dates:

  • June 5, 2024 - Part 1
  • October 24, 2024 - Part 2
  • April 22, 2025 - Part 1
  • May 6, 2025 - Part 2

Enroll in Education Leadership

Other Certificates Coming Soon
Interprofessional Teaching
Teaching for Equity and Inclusion
Teaching Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Typical Schedule for Daylong Sessions
8:15-8:30 Breakfast
8:30-10:00 Workshop
10-10:15 Break
10:15-11:45 Workshop
11:45-12noon Wrap up from morning sessions, Evaluations
12noon-1pm Lunch available
1-2:30 Workshop
2:30-2:45 Snack available
2:45-3:45 Workshop
3:45-4:30 Wrap-up from afternoon sessions, Reflection, Evaluations