Pulling Together as a Teaching Team: Strategies to Improve Teaching in Your Clerkship

1. Pulling Together as a Teaching Team: Strategies to Improve Teaching in Your Clerkship William P. Metheny, Ph.D. Brown University Medical School

2. Teaching Mission Statement • Philosophy Toward Students & Learning • Simple and Memorable • The mission of the Center is to improve the quality of educational opportunities offered to our students so as to enhance their level of success. • The department is committed to promoting instructional development utilizing a model of professional cooperative learning. • The Center for Teaching Excellence is dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and assessing teaching effectiveness and student learning.

3. Teaching Mission Statement We are committed to giving medical students a basic education in the health care of women through a dedicated core curriculum and focused clinical experiences. Write a teaching mission statement for your clerkship.

4. Personal Teaching Mission Statement • As Clerkship Director, I will ensure that students know the clerkship expectations and will work toward maximizing their individual educational experiences • As a teacher, I will demonstrate my enthusiasm for the content and engage the student in active learning • Write a personal teaching statement.

6. Teaching Performance Criteria • Student evaluations are collected on all faculty • Six performance criteria are used to derive a single score, averaged on a scale of 1 to 5. • The clerkship director and coordinator are evaluated on additional criteria, specific to the organization and management of the clerkship and the attention given to students’ needs

7. Teaching Performance Criteria • Faculty must maintain a teaching score of 3.75 to remain in good standing as teaching faculty • Faculty who achieve a score of 4.5 receive recognition for Excellence in Teaching • All FTF precept medical students • Research track faculty precept at least 2 students per year, teaching track 4 students per year. • All FTF present at least 3 times per year at the student core curriculum

8. Teaching Performance Feedback • Faculty receive teaching summaries every six months • The clerkship director conducts an annual review of each teacher’s performance to include: • Face-to-face or written review • Establishment of goals for next academic year • Discussion of ideas for improving teaching sessions

9. Teaching Performance Feedback • Meet with division directors to discuss their team’s contributions and ideas • Send follow-up note about agreed upon teaching goals or plans to faculty member, division director, and chair • Written note to faculty teaching file

10. Residents Teaching Performance Feedback • Residents receive teaching summaries every six months • The clerkship director reviews teaching performance of resident with program director, review communicated in letter to resident, followed by face-to-face meeting with director.

11. Residents Teaching Performance Feedback • Residents achieving 4.0 receive recognition for Excellence in Teaching • Residents with less than 3.25 may be given academic warning • Clerkship Director meets with residents to review ways to improve teaching performance

12. Teaching Performance Criteria?

13. Establish Mid-Term Feedback for Medical Students • RIME Meetings at midterm • Brings together residents, specialty nurse teachers, faculty preceptors • Reinforces the importance of teaching • Unobtrusive way of discovering teaching commitment and involvement • Reinforces the importance of providing feedback to students

14. Recognize Teaching Excellence • Awards: • Faculty & Residents – Excellence in Teaching from Department and Medical School • Top Teacher Awards (> 4.75) • Financial incentives built into faculty teaching goals • Recognition at Graduation ceremonies • Line item on C.V. (important for promotion and resident distinctions) • Dinner to recognize OSCE participants • Teaching Elite – Academy of Teaching Scholars

15. Retreats for Faculty & Residents • Share feedback and comments from students, including AAMC data • Track progress in targeted areas • Share personal success stories – innovations that worked • Introduce and practice new teaching strategies • Networking and team building exercises across divisions • Use real problems for real solutions

16. Recruit for Attitude – Train for Skills • Residents are recruited on their avowed and/or demonstrated interest in teaching • Recruitment session with residents emphasizes value placed on teaching and institutional recognition system • New resident orientation reemphasizes teaching responsibilities • Workshops on effective teaching provided for residents and faculty

17. Encourage Innovation & Risk Taking • Encourage faculty and residents to find new ways to teach or to improve contact time with students • Foster an open door policy allowing teachers to come to you with their ideas

18. Encourage Innovation & Risk Taking • Look for ways to guide young faculty into teaching roles • Give a defined place in the teaching faculty • Generate teaching evaluations • Find and reach out to untapped talented teachers • Be a champion for good teachers • Continually wave the teaching banner in the department

19. Take Home Efforts • What do I plan to do with this information?