Student–teacher education programme (STEP) by step: Transforming medical students into competent, confident teachers

Abstract

Background: While most medical schools have students teach other students, few offer formal education in teaching skills, and fewer provide teaching theory together with experiential teaching practice. Furthermore, curriculum evaluation of teaching education is lacking.

Aim: This study aimed to examine effects of a novel didactic teaching curriculum for students embedded in a practical teaching experience.

Methods: A longitudinal 12-week curriculum with complementary didactic and practical components for final-year students learning how to teach was developed, implemented and evaluated using a multi-level evaluation based on the Kirkpatrick approach with qualitative and quantitative methods.

Results: Thirteen student–teachers acquired measureable knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for teaching excellence. Confidence in teaching increased (p < 0.001), particularly in four key areas: oral feedback, written feedback, mentoring, and the difficult learner. Student–teachers demonstrated teaching competence as determined by self-assessment, student feedback, and faculty observation. Top teachers impacted their first-year students’ performance in patient interviewing as measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

Conclusions: Reinforcing educational theory with practical teaching experience under direct faculty supervision promotes teaching competency for graduating medical students. The intertwined didactic plus practical model can be applied to various teaching contexts to fulfil the mandate that medical schools train graduates in core teaching knowledge, skills and attitudes in preparation for their future roles as clinical teachers.

Declaration of interest: The authors have no declarations of interest.

Notes on Contributors

DEBORAH R. ERLICH, MD, MMedEd, is residency programme director of Carney Family Medicine Residency in Boston, Massachusetts, assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston. She completed a family medicine residency, faculty development fellowship and master’s degree in medical education.

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY, PharmD, MMedEd, is a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of the Master Teacher Fellowship at Tufts Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance in Malden, Massachusetts. He completed a faculty development fellowship and the Department of Health and Human Services primary care health policy fellowship.

Glossary

Peer teacher: Person from similar social groupings who is not a professional teachers helping others to learn and learning themselves by teaching

Reference: Topping KJ. 1996. The effectiveness of peer tutoring in further and higher education: A typology and review of the literature. Higher Educ 32(3):321–345.