Teaching to Teach Procedures: A Simulation-Based Curriculum for Senior Residents or Fellows

Abstract

Abstract This workshop was designed to improve senior medical residents' comfort and skills in teaching junior trainees to perform invasive procedures. We start the workshop with a session to introduce the concepts of purposeful interruption and deliberate practice to participants. These core concepts include identifying the needs of the simulated-learners performing the procedure, setting expectations prior to the procedure, and debriefing after completion of the procedure. Participants engage in a practice session to allow for rehearsal and repetition with faculty playing the role of the junior trainee learning how to perform central venous catheter insertion. A feedback and debriefing session is then conducted, with encouragement of reflection on the experience. Components included in this resource include instructions for presimulation preparation, tools to help elicit trainee participation, guide to roleplay, and performance evaluations. Despite the intrinsic role that senior trainees play in the procedural teaching of junior trainees in medicine, little attention has been focused on the acquisition of these particular teaching skills. Our informal needs assessment revealed that residents were often uncomfortable with this teaching role, and this perceived deficit led to the development of this workshop. The curricular design was informed by general concepts of adult teaching and learning, the need to impart these theories to the participants, and the use of innovative conceptual models of purposeful interrupting and deliberate practice. We have conducted this workshop for 3 years with small groups of senior medical residents. Evaluations have been overwhelmingly very positive, particularly regarding the topic and the organization of the session. Every learner has responded that the workshop should be included in the future. We hope this curriculum will be useful for others wishing to implement a simulation-based session to improve procedural teaching skills.

Keywords

• Teaching
• Simulation
• Procedures
• Methods
• Teaching Methods
• Deliberate Practice