DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY, ANATOMY & GENETICS

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford

Temporary Assignment Opportunity - Demonstrators

Invitation for Expression of Interest from graduate students, clinicians and research scientists to
teach human anatomy, neuroanatomy and histology to medical students in years 1 to 3 of the Oxford
Medical Science degrees on a temporary basis. This may be of particular interest to individuals who
wish to gain teaching experience in human biomedical sciences and/or deepen their knowledge of
human anatomy, neuroanatomy or histology. Enthusiasm for teaching and a desire to help students
learn is essential.

Location: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (based at the Medical Sciences
Teaching Centre), University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford

Seven temporary assignments for Casual Demonstrators, limited hours in term time (October
2022 – June 2023)

Hourly paid rate: £16.79 for Non-Students / £13.67 for Students

Availability to be present at all teaching sessions is important.

Please send your Expression of Interest and CV as soon as possible to [email protected].

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Helen Christian: [email protected]

The opportunity:

Demonstrators will normally be available to teach in anatomy, histology or neuroanatomy classes for
3-4 hours a week, typically on the same one or two days per week, for each 8-week term (3 terms per
academic year), although for anatomy there will be a period of more intense teaching over three
weeks at the end of the academic year. Availability to attend a one-hour preparatory session weekly,
held before the teaching session is valued and advised. Teaching will involve using anatomical
specimens prosected from human body donors, to teach core anatomy to medical students.
Demonstrators will not be expected to carry out dissection, although there may be opportunity to do
this. Availability to be present all teaching sessions is highly valued and advised.

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Your interest and experience:

As well as provision of excellent teaching, some of these opportunities also aim to offer temporary
experience to a future generation of anatomy teachers. You should have a strong interest in human
anatomy, neuroanatomy or histology and education. We are seeking applicants from scientific,
medical and surgical groups, in particular:

i) Doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers within the Medical Sciences Division who
wish to gain teaching experience and knowledge of human anatomy, neuroanatomy or
histology.
ii) Junior doctors, trainee surgeons or more experienced clinicians, who wish to use existing
anatomical knowledge, (perhaps while revising less-familiar areas of anatomy to help prepare
for MRCS examinations).

You should hold a degree in medicine, medical sciences, anatomy or a related subject.

Expressions of Interest are particularly welcome from women, black and minority ethnic candidates who
are under-represented in Higher Education posts in Oxford.

We, as a Department and Community, will be considerate and welcoming of all people, regardless of
race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. We acknowledge societal
inequalities and how these impact us, and those around us, personally and professionally.

To register your Expression of Interest please email us your CV with a brief letter in consideration
of the overview of the role found on the next page. Please email to DPAG Human Resources
Recruitment: [email protected]

For more information about:

- vacancies at the Department: https://www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/work-with-us/current-vacancies

- vacancies at the University of Oxford: https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/
- vacancies at Oxford Colleges: http://www.confcoll.ox.ac.uk/html/main/vacancies_main.html
- other temporary assignments at the University of Oxford:
https://www.tss.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx
- the University of Oxford: www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation
- the Medical Sciences Division: www.medsci.ox.ac.uk
- the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics: www.dpag.ox.ac.uk

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Overview of the temporary assignment – Demonstrator in Anatomy,
Neuroanatomy or Histology
Anatomy, neuroanatomy and histology are core basic medical sciences, knowledge of which is critical
to doctors to enable them to diagnose conditions accurately and care for patients safely and
competently. Demonstrators have the important role of teaching human anatomy, neuroanatomy and
histology to medical students in years 1 to 3 of the medical courses, providing a foundation for more
advanced clinical training.

Demonstrators teach anatomy and neuroanatomy using prosected (dissected) human specimens in a
laboratory setting and must possess, or develop, a comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the
human body and expertise in teaching this subject. The temporary demonstrator assignment
demands a high degree of professionalism and integrity, especially when instructing students and
when handling human specimens, which must be treated with dignity and respect.

Responsibilities/duties

In consultation with the Departmental Clinical Anatomists, Department Lecturer in Histology and
Anatomy Teaching Prosector, where necessary, to:

 Attend and complete induction sessions providing an overview of responsibilities regarding

the Human Tissue Act. To work within the codes and good practice guidelines produced by
the Human Tissue Authority. To abide by, and where necessary, enforce the Divisional ‘Code
of Conduct’ for teaching in facilities using human tissue.

 Prepare for teaching sessions, by private study and by attending any preparatory classes
offered, to ensure that anatomical or histology knowledge is sufficient to meet the requirements
of course syllabi and to instruct students to the required standard. To demonstrate a high
degree of professionalism and integrity, as would be expected from a university teacher.

For anatomy demonstrators:

 Teach basic human anatomy using prosected specimens to small groups of first year medical
students on the ‘Organisation of the Body’ course. These sessions run across all three terms
and normally last three hours, during which six groups of students will rotate through the
teaching station. This course will cover musculoskeletal anatomy (limbs and spine), thoracic,
abdominal and pelvic anatomy. There is some coverage of head and neck anatomy (upper
respiratory and GI tracts).

 Teach introductory clinical anatomy using prosected specimens to small groups of third year
medical students on the ‘Principles of Clinical Anatomy’ course. This course runs over three
weeks at the end of the academic year, involving morning and afternoon sessions (by this
stage, demonstrators will have taught all anatomical regions at a basic level). This course will
revise the anatomy taught in year 1 and (via clinical lecturers) demonstrate the importance of
anatomy in different clinical specialties.

 Ensure that human body donors, prosections, osteological specimens and other educational
materials used for anatomical teaching are handled with respect and dignity in accordance
with the Human Tissue Act and health and safety regulations.

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  Teach human anatomy using prosected specimens to small groups of first- and second-year
graduate entry medical students on the ‘Graduate Entry Medicine Anatomy Module’. These
sessions normally last two hours, during which demonstrators will offer support to students
learning from prosections, as needed. This course will cover musculoskeletal anatomy (limbs
and spine), thoracic, abdominal and pelvic anatomy, head and neck anatomy and
neuroanatomy (brain and spinal cord).

For neuroanatomy demonstrators:

 Teach human neuroanatomy to second year medical students on the ‘Nervous System’
course, using brain and spinal cord specimens. These sessions run across Michaelmas and
Hilary terms and normally last three hours.

For histology demonstrators:

 Teach histology to 1st year medical students on the ‘Organisation of the Body’ course. These
sessions run across all three terms and normally last three hours.

The temporary assignment requires that all of the relevant standard operating procedures and policy
documents when working in the dissecting room are followed. Wearing personal protective equipment
(gloves, safety glasses, laboratory coat) while teaching in the Demonstration Room (DR) and
classroom 2 (C2) will also be required.

This description of the temporary assignment should be regarded only as a guide to the duties
required and is not intended to be definitive. It may be reviewed in the light of a change in
circumstances following consultation. This description does not form part of the Casual Worker
Agreement.

Please note that all casual work is subject to standard compulsory UK Home Office Right to Work
checks.

We welcome Expressions of Interest from those who essentially meet the below criteria:

 Honours degree in medical sciences, human anatomy or a related biomedical discipline /

degree in medicine.

 Ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both to instruct students and develop good
working relationships with fellow demonstrators, academic, technical and administrative staff.

 Depending on qualifications and career stage, experience in teaching undergraduate students

or a demonstrable interest in teaching and learning.

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Hazard-specific / Safety-critical duties
This temporary assignment includes hazards or safety-critical activities. If you are offered the temporary
assignment, you will be asked to complete a health questionnaire which will be assessed by our
Occupational Health Service, and the temporary assignment will only commence subject to a successful
outcome of this assessment.
The hazards or safety-critical duties involved are as follows:

 Manual handling (non-routine)

 Working with blood, human products and human tissues
 Work with any substance which has any of the following pictograms on their MSDS:

Additional security pre-temporary assignment checks

If you are invited to commence the temporary assignment this will be subject to standard pre-temporary
assignment checks. You will be asked to provide: proof of your right-to-work in the UK; proof of your
identity. You will also be asked to complete a health declaration so that you can tell us about any health
conditions or disabilities for which you may need us to make appropriate adjustments.

Information on pre-temporary assignment checks can be found at: https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/pre-

employment-checks