Faculty Development on Clinical Teaching Skills: An Effective Model for the Busy Clinician

Abstract

Introduction The authors developed and evaluated a faculty development program on clinical teaching skills to address barriers to participation and to impact teaching behaviors. Methods Four one-hour workshops were implemented over five months. Evaluation included participant satisfaction and pre/post self-assessment. Pre/post faculty teaching ratings by trainees were compared. Results A total of 82% of faculty ( N = 41) attended. Participants rated workshops highly (mean, 4.43/5.00). Self-assessment of skills and comfort with teaching activities improved. A total of 59% of residents and 40% of fellows felt that teaching received from participating faculty was highly effective. The majority observed targeted teaching behaviors by the faculty. Teaching ratings improved after the workshops ( P = 0.042). Conclusion Our series of short workshops during a standing conference time was associated with increased self-assessed skill and comfort and an increase in faculty ratings on teaching evaluations. Effective faculty development programs can be implemented in flexible formats and overcome common barriers to participation.