Purpose: Evaluate the impact of a clinical teaching elective on fourth-year medical students’ teaching confidence.
Background: Residents spend up to a quarter of their time at work teaching, yet they often feel ill-prepared for this role. We implemented a two-week course for fourth-year medical students dedicated to learning and practicing teaching skills.
Methods: We designed a two-week elective for fourth-year medical students to develop clinical teaching skills. Students complete an online curriculum covering basic teaching principles. They then apply these strategies in the clinical setting by teaching third-year students rotating on their obstetrics and gynecology clerkship. We assessed teaching confidence via an online, 28-question pre and post-survey. Students rated their responses on a 5-point Likert scale. We used paired t-tests to evaluate for significant differences(p< 0.05).
Results: Twelve students have completed the course from January 2019 through July 2021; twelve students(100%) completed both the pre and post surveys. We found significant improvement in 16 of the 28 questions. Questions that demonstrated the largest differences were “How often do medical students know what you expect of them?” and “How often do students approach you with questions?” The median scores improved from 3.0 (pre) to 4.0 (post) (Z= -3.101, p= .0002) for both questions.
Discussions: As a resident, teaching medical students is a significant part of clinical responsibilities. This fourth-year clinical teaching rotation improved participants’ teaching confidence. By developing and practicing teaching skills as fourth-year medical students, learners can more confidently transition to the role of resident educator.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2022, Student, Resident, Faculty, Clerkship Director, Residency Director, Professionalism, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, GME, Team-Based Learning, General Ob-Gyn,
Kirsten Kreh, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; John Poehlmann, MD; Katharina Stewart, MD, MS; Laura Jacques, MD; Amy Godecker, PhD, MS
