How we make good doctors into good teachers: a short course to support busy clinicians to improve their teaching skills

Background: Doctors are expected to teach but many are reluctant through lack of training. Busy clinicians have little time to attend faculty development initiatives. We wanted to increase clinical teaching capacity locally. What we did: In response to requests from doctors lacking confidence in their teaching skills, we developed a programme tailored to the needs of working clinical teachers. The emphasis is on teaching effectively in a busy clinical environment. There are five 90 min modules: bedside teaching, effective supervision and feedback, teaching physical examination and procedures, effective lectures and facilitating development of clinical reasoning skills. The course is practical, interactive and takes place in a supportive learning environment adjacent to the workplace. A total of 81 clinicians participated in the course. Evaluation: The main outcomes were increased confidence in bedside teaching, teaching more effectively on ward rounds and reduction in need for support with teaching. Participants reported a better understanding of basic educational theory and its relevance to clinical teaching. There is increased activity in clinical teaching among past participants. Conclusions: All clinical teachers require guidance and encouragement in developing their teaching skills. An accessible, practical focused teaching course run locally by colleagues with education expertise can improve clinicians' skills and motivation to teach