Dr Michal Tombs
Senior Lecturer
- tombsm2@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2068 7431
- 9th floor, Neuadd Meirionnydd, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YS
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Michal’s background is underpinned by Occupational Psychology, both as a practitioner and as an academic. She has spent over a decade teaching psychology and have led and contributed to course developments at national and international levels. Michal moved into medical education as her research interests are aligned to this context. Teaching on both the face to face and the e-learning courses in Medical Education, she co-ordinates the MSc stage (dissertations) and leads the Learning & Teaching in Clinical Education module. Michal is also the PGR lead in Medical Education.
Michal studied Psychology at Swansea University (1994-1997) and completed an MSc in Occupational Psychology at Cardiff University (1998). After qualifying as a Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Occupational), she returned to Academia to study for a PhD under the supervision of Professor John Patrick into the topic of Motivation to learn (Completed in 2011). Before joining the medical education team she worked for University of Wales, Newport and the University of South Wales as a Course Leader of the BSc Psychology programme. Michal was responsible for leading the Psychology undergraduate course at Newport through BPS accreditation.
Professional memberships
A Senior Fellow of the Advanced HE Academy.
Member of the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) and the Research Methodology Group (RMG)
Registered Occupational Psychologist (HCPC)
Associate member of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
BPS Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing (Level A) and the BPS Certificate of Personality Testing (Level B) and a qualified Assessor for the BPS Qualification in Psychometric Testing.
Academic positions
2016-Present day: Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Cardiff University
2010-2016: Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of South Wales
2003-2010: GTA and Professional Tutor in Occupational Psychology, Cardiff University
2019
- Salmon, G., Tombs, M. and Surman, K. 2019. Teaching medical students about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The design and development of an e-learning resource. Advances in Medical Education and Practice 10, pp. 987-997. (10.2147/AMEP.S220390)
- Salmon, G. and Tombs, M. 2019. Teaching medical students child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP). Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice 14(5), pp. 348-360. (10.1108/JMHTEP-07-2018-0041)
- Tombs, M. 2019. How to use the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) in medical education research. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1480540/How-to-Use-the-Critical-Incident-Technique-in-Medical-Education-Research.pdf
2018
- Salmon, G. and Tombs, M. 2018. Teaching undergraduate medical students Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP): a Delphi study on curriculum content. BMC Medical Education 18, article number: 315. (10.1186/s12909-018-1427-4)
- Tombs, M. 2018. Expectancy based measures of trainees’ motivation to learn: an overview and practical implications. Assessment and Development Matters 10(3), pp. 8-11.
- Tombs, M. and Morgan, P. L. 2018. Changes in new recruits' motivation and intentions to use a learning portfolio: a longitudinal investigation. Police Journal 91(2), pp. 188-202. (10.1177/0032258X17699227)
2016
- Smy, V.et al. 2016. Perceived transformational leadership, instructor behaviors, and motivation to learn: a mediated model. Le Travail Humain 79, pp. 169-185. (10.3917/th.792.0169)
2015
- Coombes, E. and Tombs-Katz, M. 2015. Interactive therapeutic music skill-sharing in the West Bank: An evaluation report of project Beit Sahour. Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy 9(1), pp. 67-79.
2014
- Tombs-Katz, M. 2014. Fostering a continuous learning culture in the NHS: The role of leadership.. In: Tate, L. et al. eds. Implementing culture change within the NHS: Contributions from Occupational Psychology. Occupational Psychology in Public Policy (OPIPP) Group Report.. The British Psychological Society, pp. 45-51.
2013
- Tombs, M. 2013. Physical activity and cognitive function in a student population. Research in Higher Education 31, pp. 91-94.
2012
- Patrick, J.et al. 2012. Being in one's chosen job determines pre-training attitudes and training outcomes. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 85(2), pp. 245-257. (10.1111/j.2044-8325.2011.02027.x)
2011
- Tombs, M. 2011. Motivation to learn: test of a model in different training contexts. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2009
- Patrick, J.et al. 2009. Effectiveness of instructor behaviours and their relationship to leadership. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 82(3), pp. 491-509. (10.1348/096317908X360693)
2004
- Tombs, M. 2004. The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and its use within the occupational assessment process. Journal of Occupational Psychology Employment and Disability 6(2), pp. 79-84.
PGR lead in Medical Education
Module Leader – Learning & Teaching in Clinical Education
Module Leader - Research Skills
Dissertation / MSc Co-Ordinator
Member of the School's Ethics Committee
Michal is an applied psychologist and as such her research focuses on the application of psychological theories in a diverse range of workplace settings and medical education. This includes research projects that span across the broad spectrum of occupational psychology such as training, leadership, and occupational rehabilitation.
Michal is particularly interested in researching informal learning and the hidden curriculum in Medical Education, exploring the context in which people work and study (i.e., leadership, organisational culture, support) and how it impacts motivation and attitudes towards learning that are the bedrocks for progress and survival of organisations. Another particular area of interest is selection and recruitment in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
Michal supervised numerous postgraduate students on a range of projects in Medical Education and Occupational Psychology and is keen to hear from you if you are interested in conducting research into informal learning and the hidden curriculum in medical education. As an expert in the field of Psychometric testing she will also be keen to hear from you if you are interested in researching selection and recruitment in Medical education.
Current PGR students
Majed Alqahtani (joint supervisoion with Professor Steve Riley) - High-fidelity simulation in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) education (2019-present day).
Mohammed Algabgab (joint supervisoion with Professor Steve Riley) - Feedback in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) education (2019-present day).
Past projects
With extensive experience of research in the field training, Michal is now a source of expertise for the BPS Occupational Psychology in Policy Group on the topic of continuous learning. She provided a range of research and consultancy services to organisations such as South Wales Police, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, and the Ministry of Defence in the area of organisational training and presented her work nationally and internationally.