The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is a postgraduate medical training college dedicated to ensuring that doctors have the skills to provide patients with the best possible care. Founded in 1654, the college supports doctors to enhance their skills, competencies, and professionalism throughout their working lives.
Through its Faculties and Institutes, The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, offers medical training programmes, examinations, diplomas, and educational courses to equip doctors with the skills and knowledge they need to care for patients and run safe and efficient healthcare systems. It also offers a range of educational diplomas and courses for learners in the wider healthcare sector.
TITLE OF POST: Tutor for Professional Diploma in Obesity Care
LOCATION: Remote – Work from home
REPORTS TO: Manager, Education Delivery
CONTRACT TYPE: Specific Purpose
SALARY: €3,500 per module per group
CLOSING DATE: 19th June at 16:00
OBJECTIVE
The principal objectives of this post are to facilitate online tutorials for one or multiple modules of the RCPI Professional Diploma in Obesity Care, and moderate online learning activities and assessments. This role involves 2-3 hours per week for the 8 weeks of a module, plus correction of assessments at the end of each module.
Tutorial format:
- Hosted online
- Learners assigned to tutorial groups
- Delivered weekly to a defined curriculum
In advance of the commencement of each module, tutors will participate in a series of onboarding activities to prepare them for the delivery of the tutorials.
Each tutorial group will have access to a discussion board. Moderation of this discussion board will be the responsibility of the Tutor.
LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT
Tutors review participants’ assessments (including ongoing as well as end-of-module assessments), mark them, and offer constructive and meaningful feedback to each learner in their tutorial group. Tutors will be required to participate in assessment standardisation and moderation activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF ROLE
- Complete online onboarding and attend briefing sessions before each module (1-2 hours), and standardisation and moderation meetings for assessment at the end of each module (2-3 hours).
- Contextualise standard tutorial templates and resources for the tutorial group, e.g. provide cases and discuss timings with the RCPI Learning Experience Designer.
- Facilitate tutorials as per agreed schedule.
- Provide academic support to learners.
- Forge relationships with learners, encouraging their interaction at tutorials and within their peer group.
- Monitor learner progress, attendance and conduct in the virtual learning environment.
- Facilitate formal learner feedback collection
- Identify potential learners in difficulty, monitoring any shortfalls in attendance and engagement.
- Mark all module assessment submissions in a timely manner and provide learners with constructive feedback.
- Ensure that all Royal College of Physicians of Ireland policies and procedures are adhered to.
- Other duties as may be assigned by the RCPI Education Function.
Tutors are sought who can deliver individual modules, or a combination of 2 or 3 modules, according to levels of relevant expertise and experience.
This role is supported by the RCPI Learning Experience Designer and the RCPI Programme Manager.
GENERAL CRITERIA
- Experience with teaching, facilitating, or mentoring
- Ability to teach and engage a multidisciplinary audience in an online environment
- Commitment to person centred, evidence based, and stigma free obesity care
- Strong communication skills, including facilitation of discussion and reflective learning online
- Ability to link evidence and theory to real world clinical, public health, or systems practice
MODULE-SPECIFIC CRITERIA
Module 1: Understanding Obesity
Qualifications and Experience
- Health or social care professional or academic with expertise in obesity science, public health, endocrinology, or a related field
- Postgraduate training or equivalent professional experience in obesity, metabolic health, or population health
- Experience teaching foundational or conceptual content to multidisciplinary learners
Knowledge and Skills
- Strong knowledge of obesity as a chronic disease, including biological, psychological, environmental, and life course influences
- Understanding of obesity related complications and assessment approaches beyond BMI
- Knowledge of ethics, stigma, and professional practice in healthcare.
- Ability to clearly explain complex scientific concepts and challenge common myths
- Skill in facilitating reflective discussion on stigma, lived experience, and professional attitudes
- Ability to connect scientific evidence to clinical and public health contexts
Module 2: Obesity Management Strategies
Qualifications and Experience
- Registered clinician with current or recent experience in obesity or chronic disease management
- Experience working within, or closely with, multidisciplinary obesity services
- Experience teaching applied, clinical, or case based content to healthcare professionals
Knowledge and Skills
- Strong knowledge of comprehensive obesity assessment across medical, nutritional, psychological, and functional domains with recognition of discipline-specific expertise
- Knowledge of, and ability to teach, evidence-based interventions including nutrition, physical activity, behavioural approaches, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery, while recognising the role of other disciplines and appropriate referral pathways." Expertise in evidence-based interventions, including nutrition, physical activity, behavioural approaches, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery
- Expertise in evidence based interventions, including nutrition, physical activity, behavioural approaches, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery
- Familiarity with national and international obesity guidelines and chronic disease care models
- Ability to teach clinical reasoning, shared decision making, and patient centred care planning
- Skill in teaching communication and counselling approaches using practical examples and case based learning
Module 3: Obesity, Equity, and Health Systems Integration
Qualifications and Experience
- Professional or academic expertise in chronic disease prevention, obesity prevention, health promotion, advocacy, and practice.
- Experience working across healthcare, community, and/or policy settings
- Experience facilitating discussion based, reflective, or systems focused learning
Knowledge and Skills
- Strong understanding of systems thinking, social determinants of health, and life course approaches to obesity
- Knowledge of public health systems, policy, and chronic disease prevention across different contexts, cultures, and system levels.
- Ability to critically assess obesity metrics, population data, and sources of bias
- Skill in facilitating discussion on stigma, equity, leadership, and systems change
- Ability to support learners to design inclusive, stigma free, and integrated practice or service improvements
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is a postgraduate medical training college dedicated to ensuring that doctors have the skills to provide patients with the best possible care. Founded in 1654, the college supports doctors to enhance their skills, competencies, and professionalism throughout their working lives.
Through its Faculties and Institutes, The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, offers medical training programmes, examinations, diplomas, and educational courses to equip doctors with the skills and knowledge they need to care for patients and run safe and efficient healthcare systems. It also offers a range of educational diplomas and courses for learners in the wider healthcare sector.
