138 - Creation of a Clinical Educator Elective for ID Fellows

Background: While fellows are expected to educate residents and students, they often receive limited formal instruction on how to teach. To address this, we developed a 2-4 week Clinical Educator Elective (CEE) for senior ID fellows.  Goals were to increase fellow teaching engagement and promote excellence in medical education by improving understanding of adult learning theory and application to medical education.   

Methods: Curriculum development: Methodology used Kern’s 6 step approach.  A targeted needs assessment was obtained from CEE fellows at the start of the block.  A reading list was created from key areas (table). Instructional methods included flipped classroom, learner-led discussions, and exercises in evaluation and feedback of peer and faculty teaching.  Fellows completed a required capstone educational project. 
Learner

Assessment: Standardized peer and faculty feedback surveys of fellow teaching were used.
Program

Assessment:  CEE narrative assessments were evaluated.  Anonymous pre- and post-CEE self-assessment fellow surveys rating their confidence in knowledge and skills in clinical education on a 1-10 scale (1 lowest, 10 highest) were compared.  Post-CEE fellows’ medical student (MS3) teaching was compared to a 4-year pre-CEE historical cohort (PCHC). 

Results: From 2017-9, 7 of 11 (64%) senior ID fellows completed the CEE.  5 (71%) were male, 3 started fellowship post-residency, 3 were chief residents, and 1 was an internist for 2 years. They had a median of 10 hours of prior faculty development (IQR 1-26).  Career goals included GME in 6 of 7 pre-CEE.  Narrative assessments revealed fellows highly valued the CEE. 6 available post-rotation surveys showed increased confidence in knowledge of adult learning theory, characteristics of effective educators, and fellows’ ability to teach across a range of settings (table).  5 of 7 CEE fellows precepted MS3s compared to 1 of 8 fellows in the PCHC (p=.04).  CEE and PCHC fellows won 7 and 2 teaching awards, respectively. Fellows' confidence in knowledge and skills of various aspects of medical education before and after the clinical educator elective


Conclusion: A CEE was highly valued and improved fellow self-assessed knowledge and skills in clinical teaching, even in those with prior teaching experience.  It was also associated with more MS3 teaching.  Future evaluations of long-term retention in academic medicine and teaching performance can further examine this approach.

Presenting Author(s)

• 

  Dana M. Blyth, MD

  Infectious Disease Fellowship Program Director
  Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
  Bethesda, Maryland

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

  Slides Slides and Audio

Co-Author(s)

• AM

  Ana E. Markelz, MD

  Site PI
  Brooke Army Medical Center
  Fort Sam Houston, Texas

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• Ls

  Luke surry, MD

  Associate Program Director for Research
  BAMC
  San Antonio, Texas

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• DL

  David Lindholm, MD

  Physician
  San Antonio Military Medical Center; Uniformed Services Universit of the Health Sciences
  San Antonio, Texas

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• HY

  Heather Yun, MD

  Deputy Commander for Medical Services; Professor of Medicine
  Brooke Army Medical Center ; Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
  San Antonio, Texas

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• AB

  Alice E. Barsoumian, MD

  Infectious Diseases Physician
  Brooke Army Medical Center
  San Antonio, Texas

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.