Twelve tips for preparing residents as teachers

Abstract

Background: Residents are frequently identified by medical students as their most frequent and memorable teachers; residents also teach their peers, junior and senior colleagues, other health professionals, and their patients. Many will teach in their future practice. Developing the skills to become a teacher is an important part of postgraduate education, and warrants a systematic, planned approach that may include many complementary learning opportunities.

Aims: Our purpose is to describe one such approach: a 4-week elective experience in medical education offered to postgraduate learners.

Method: The paper describes the background and goals for the elective, and the various steps in planning, implementing, and evaluating such a course, drawing on the literature and mining our own experience for examples. Specifically, we address the following: needs assessment; the determination and selection of content, sequence, and teaching and learning methods; the experiential learning opportunities offered; and the emphasis on the participants’ developing self-awareness of themselves as teachers, and as part of a community of teachers.

Results: The program implementation, program evaluation, and response to feedback received are described.

Conclusion: A 4-week elective experience in medical education was positively received by participants.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen V. Mann

KAREN MANN, PhD, is currently Professor in the Division of Medical Education at Dalhousie University. She is involved in educational research, faculty development, and educational development and evaluation across the continuum of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education.

Evelyn Sutton

EVELYN SUTTON, MD, FRCPS(C), is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Dalhousie University and Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Education. She is a former program director and undergraduate education coordinator and has extensive experience in undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Blye Frank

BLYE FRANK, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Division of Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University. His research areas are social inclusion and diversity in medical education, and men, masculinities, and health.