Regional teaching improvement programs for community-based teachers

PURPOSE: Community-based clinical teachers provide an important cadre of fa culty for medical education. This study was designed to examine the feasibi lity and value of an American College of Physicians-sponsored regional teac hing improvement program for community-based teachers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We conducted five regional (Connecticut, New Hampshir e/Vermont, New York, Ohio, and Virginia) 1- to 2-day teaching-improvement w orkshops for 282 faculty (49% community based, 51% university based). The w orkshops were conducted by regional facilitators trained by the Stanford Fa culty Development Program using large group and small group instructional m ethods to teach participants a framework for analyzing teaching, to increas e their repertoire of teaching behaviors, to define personal teaching goals , and to identify the educational needs of their teaching site. Participant s used Likert ratings [1 (low) to 5 (high) scale] to assess workshop qualit y, facilitator effectiveness, and rewards for and barriers to teaching in t heir clinics. Using retrospective pre- and postintervention ratings, partic ipants also assessed workshop impacts on teacher knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Finally, participants completed open-ended questions to identify re commended changes to improve their clinic as an educational site for studen ts and residents. RESULTS: At all sites, participants evaluated the program as highly useful (4.6 +/- 0.6, mean +/- SD). Participants' ratings indicated that the progra m had a positive effect on their knowledge of teaching principles (4.0 +/- 0.9), an increase in their teaching ability (P <0.001), and an increase in their sense of integration with their affiliated institution (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Regional training of university and community faculty can be a n effective way of promoting the improvement of teaching and the collaborat ion between community-based teachers and academic centers. National physici an organizations and regionally based facilitators can provide important re sources for the delivery of such training. Am J Med. 1999;106:76-80. (C) 19 99 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.