Something’s missing from my education: Using a cross sectional survey to examine the needs and interest of Canadian medical students relating to their roles as teachers and educators

Authors

  • Alim Nagji McMaster University
  • Karen Leslie University of Toronto
  • Eric Wong University of Western Ontario
  • Doug Myhre University of Calgary
  • Meredith Young McGill University
  • Ming-Ka Chan University of Manitoba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.36725

Keywords:

teacher training, medical students,

Abstract

Background: Current theory in medical education emphasizes engaging learners as educators while tailoring teaching to their learning needs. However, little is known about learners’ perceptions of their proposed roles as teachers and educators.

Methods: Canadian medical students were invited to complete an English language online questionnaire structured to include: teaching experience, participation and/or awareness of teacher development at their school and awareness and/or interest in further training in medical education. The survey was developed by the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) Membership Subcommittee, and distributed via the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) email list and the CAME twitter account in March 2014.

Results: Of the 169 undergraduate medical student respondents, 36% (n=61) reported a lack of prior teaching experience and 45% (n=73) were unsure if their school provided teaching instruction. Overall, 91% (n=150) indicated that they planned to incorporate teaching or medical education into their future careers.

Conclusion: While the majority of medical student respondents are expecting or planning to teach, most report not having access to adequate training through medical school. Further effort is necessary to support medical students as teachers to prepare them for increased teaching responsibilities as residents and to expose them to potential careers in medical education. 

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Author Biography

Karen Leslie, University of Toronto

Karen Leslie, MD, MEd FRCPC

 Dr. Leslie is a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics.  She is a staff physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she leads the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program. She is also the co-lead for Education for the Medical Psychiatry Alliance at SickKids.

 Dr. Leslie is a clinician educator and has been involved in many levels of educational program development and evaluation/  In 2009, Dr. Leslie was appointed as the Director of the Centre for Faculty Development, Faculty of Medicine, after having served as the Associate Director for 4 years. Her scholarly interests and work are in the areas of health outcomes for adolescents with substance abuse, faculty development, career development and mentoring.

 

 

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Published

2017-07-04

How to Cite

1.
Nagji A, Leslie K, Wong E, Myhre D, Young M, Chan M-K. Something’s missing from my education: Using a cross sectional survey to examine the needs and interest of Canadian medical students relating to their roles as teachers and educators. Can. Med. Ed. J [Internet]. 2017 Jul. 4 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];8(3):e21-29. Available from: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/36725

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Section

Original Research

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