Training junior faculty to become clinical teachers: The value of personalized coaching

Background: Junior clinical faculty require institutional support in the acquisition of feedback and clinical supervision skills of trainees. We tested the effectiveness of a personalized coaching versus guided self-reflection format of a faculty development program at improving faculty skills and self-efficacy.

Methods: Participants were evaluated both before and after the program using a four-station Objective Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE). A gain-score analysis, one-way ANOVA, and paired t-tests were used to evaluate both groups. The impact on the learning environment was measured by resident ratings of the Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire.

Results: One hundred and twenty-seven participants completed the study over a three-year period. Both groups had significant improvements in self-efficacy. Participants in the coaching group demonstrated superior performance in encouraging learner self-reflection, teaching effectiveness, verifying learner understanding, exploring feelings/needs, and defining learning objectives. Over a 5-year period, the overall institutional learning climate significantly improved concerning faculty role-modeling, coaching, articulation, and explorations skills.

Conclusion: Offering a contextualized faculty-development program using OSTEs that provides multiple opportunities for feedback and is focused on creating a community of practice is an effective method to facilitate the transfer of skills to the clinical environment, supports teacher identity development, and favorably impacts the learning climate.