EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR SURGERY EDUCATION

Background: In an effort to assist faculty in conducting research in s urgery education, some departments of surgery have funded professional educator positions which provide research expertise, as well as other program design and evaluation services. Purpose: This study was under taken to document the range of educator support activities, quantify t he number and type of surgery educator faculty and staff and identify, the source of finding support for surgery education. Methods: A 3-pag e survey was mailed to departments of surgery at 130 U.S. and 17 Canad ian medical schools. Results: A 71.4% response rate identified 36 prof essional educators in 23 departments of surgery at 103 medical schools . There were an average of 1.74 full-time equivalent positions per med ical school devoted to directors of clerkship and residency programs, and 1.94 full-time equivalents for clerical support. Conclusions: A to tal 23 medical schools reported having 36 professional educators on th eir staff. The commitment by the department to fund professional educa tor positions appears to create a positive environment for research an d promote an expectation for scholarly work.