Docere: Training Doctor Teachers Through Mentored Academic Teaching Within a Pediatric Residency Program

The word “doctor” is derived from the Latin word “docere” which means “teacher.” As we look to train physical therapists with advanced competencies in pediatrics, it is also important to prioritize developing skilled physical therapy educators. Physical therapist education programs reported 148.5 faculty vacancies in allocated positions and 61 new faculty positions to be filled in 2020. Anticipated pediatric physical therapy faculty retirements will exacerbate the existing shortages. Pediatric residency programs are an effective vehicle to train our “doctor” educators to address the growing need for faculty. Quality teaching extends beyond traditional lectures and literature supports the need to train educators in the learning sciences. Residency education can incorporate advanced clinical and educational competencies to promote highly skilled clinicians who can teach our future workforce. The doctor as teacher model of resident education is prominent within medical schools and has found to enhance clinical education experiences, improve patient care outcomes, and increase the number of individuals in pursuit of academic careers in a variety of medical specialties. The purpose of the session is to describe how one program integrates educational competencies and training through intentional didactic mentoring on the learning sciences, application of teaching and learning principles as a teaching assistant in a professional physical therapist education program, and clinical teaching mentoring as a clinical instructor. Participants will explore and share strategies to develop resident as teacher opportunities in pediatric residency education.