CJEM Articles: teaching methods

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  • Impact of a teaching attending physician on medical student, resident, and faculty perceptions and satisfaction
    July 2011 13 4
    Andrew L. Nyce, Brigitte M. Baumann, J. Hope Kilgannon, Michael E. Chansky, Tara N. Cassidy-Smith

    Objectives: To determine if a dedicated teaching attending for medical student education improves medical student, attending physician, and resident perceptions and satisfaction.
    Methods: Two dedicated teaching attending physician shifts were added to the clinical schedule each week. A before-after trial compared medical student evaluations from 2000 to 2004 (preteaching attending physician) to medical student evaluations from 2005 to 2006 (teaching attending physician). Attending physician and resident perceptions and satisfaction with the teaching attending physician shifts using a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = poor to 5 = excellent) were also assessed.
    Results: Eighty-nine (100%) medical students participated, with 63 preteaching attending physician and 26 teaching attending physician rotation evaluations. The addition of teaching attending physician shifts improved mean medical student satisfaction with bedside teaching (4.1 to 4.5), lecture satisfaction (4.2 to 4.8), preceptor scores (4.3 to 4.8), and perceived usefulness of the rotation (4.5 to 5.0) (all p < 0.05). Thirteen attending physicians (93%) participated in the cross-sectional questionnaire. The addition of teaching attending physician shifts improved faculty ratings of their medical student interactions by ≥ 1.5 points for all items (p ≤ 0.001). Faculty perceptions of their resident interactions improved for quality of bedside teaching (3.1 to 4.0), their availability to hear resident presentations (3.4 to 4.2), and their supervision of residents (3.4 to 4.1) (p ≤ 0.01). Residents (n = 35) noted minor improvements with the timeliness of patient dispositions, faculty bedside teaching, and attending physician availability.
    Conclusions:The addition of select teaching attending physician shifts had the greatest effect on medical student and faculty perceptions and satisfaction, with some improvements for residents.

  • Incorporating simulation into a residency curriculum
    July 2010 12 4
    Eric S. Nadel, James K. Takayesu, Kriti Bhatia, Ron M. Walls

    The integration of simulation into a medical postgraduate curriculum requires informed implementation in ways that take advantage of simulation’s unique ability to facilitate guided application of new knowledge. It requires review of all objectives of the training program to ensure that each of these is mapped to the best possible learning method. To take maximum advantage of the training enhancements made possible by medical simulation, it must be integrated into the learning environment, not simply added on. This requires extensive reorganization of the resident didactic schedule.

    Simulation planning is supported by clear learning objectives that define the goals of the session, promote learner investment in active participation and allow for structured feedback for individual growth. Teaching to specific objectives using simulation requires an increased time commitment from teaching faculty and careful logistical planning to facilitate flow of learners through a series of simulations in ways that maximize learning. When applied appropriately, simulation offers a unique opportunity for learners to acquire and apply new knowledge under direct supervision in ways that complement the rest of the educational curriculum. In addition, simulation can improve the learning environment and morale of residents, provide additional methods of resident evaluation, and facilitate the introduction of new technologies and procedures into the clinical environment.