Professional Identity Formation of Basic Science Medical Educators: A Qualitative Study of Identity Supports and Threats

Learning together: a narrative review of external resources for medical education through a shared student-faculty lens

External resources, defined as commercial learning resources typically found online and not created by academic institutions, are increasingly utilized by students in medical education. As the use of external resources continues to grow, there is a need to understand their appropriate place within medical education and for faculty members to continue to integrate such resources into the existing medical curricula. A gap in the literature exists regarding the role of such resources within formal medical education.

This narrative review identifies factors contributing to the use of external resources, integrates student and faculty perspectives to highlight their unique insights, and collaboratively proposes recommendations for the future use of external resources in medical education.

Identified factors contributing to the increased use of external resources include generational affinity for technology and online learning, perceived efficiency compared to live lectures, pass-fail grading system of biomedical science courses, the pressure of board exams, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although external resources are expensive, medical students use them to support their pre-clerkship learning and performance on national licensure exams. Faculty share the goal of student success and see potential for integration of external resources in the curriculum but raise concerns about reduced learner presence and willingness to read as well as the possibility of a universal medical curriculum. Collaborative student-faculty recommendations include the primacy of student autonomy, the benefits of classroom engagement, and the importance of cost management around third-party resources.

Although external resources should not supplant all faculty instruction, they can benefit both medical students and faculty when thoughtfully and strategically integrated within the pre-clerkship curriculum to enhance learning outcomes and board exam performance.

Navigating Uncharted Territory: A Qualitative Analysis of Challenges and Advantages Experienced by Early Career Medical Educators

With the growing demand for medical educators, it is increasingly important that institutions implement practices to recruit, retain, and promote the well-being of early career medical educators (ECMEs). However, the specific needs of this group remain somewhat unclear. The current study aimed to address this gap by utilizing qualitative analysis to identify challenges and advantages associated with ECME status. An anonymous, voluntary survey was administered on forums of professional societies for medical education and on social media platforms, and emailed to professional societies. The survey collected demographic information and qualitative data regarding ECMEs' experiences. Data were collected from 39 participants who met the ECME criteria of having less than or equal to 10 years of teaching experience since obtaining a terminal degree. Thematic analysis revealed that the challenges of early career faculty were difficulty balancing responsibilities, lack of research and educational support, perceived inadequacies as a faculty member, and development of workplace friendships. The advantages were the ability to understand students, possessing specific knowledge and skills, and the ability to innovate. ECME professional development needs focused on development of skills, networking, and support. In conclusion, ECMEs encounter similar struggles faced by all medical educators; however, they have the least amount of experience navigating the hurdles of academia. To aid ECMEs, institutions and departments can focus on the implementation of meaningful professional development opportunities, support systems, and encouraging ECMEs' strengths.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02205-7.

Medical Educator Perceptions of Faculty Effort and Intent to Stay in Academic Medicine

Purpose

Core roles of medical school faculty are increasingly diverse, substantial, and evolving. In alignment with this dynamic nature of medical education, faculty effort should be accurately appraised, constantly evaluated, and rewarded to ensure faculty satisfaction and promote a culture of belonging. The study goal was to examine the imbalance in official assignments and perceptions of medical school faculty effort in various educator domains.

Materials and Methods

An 80-item survey was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative measures of faculty perceptions of effort. Survey questions collected data on faculty demographics, intent to stay, and perceptions of effort in the following educator domains: teaching, educational leadership and administration, research and scholarship, and service. A mixed methods approach was utilized in data analysis.

Results

Eighty-eight complete survey responses were collected between February and May of 2022 from respondents from 27 states. There was a significant disparity between assigned and perceived effort in the educator domains of teaching, research, and service (P < 0.01). Faculty satisfaction with percent effort dedicated to teaching significantly correlated with intent to stay (P < 0.05). Satisfaction with workload assignments was higher with advanced academic rank and male gender. Qualitative analysis identified many key themes in the categories of promotion, workload, resources, and retention.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that satisfaction with workload directly correlates with intent to stay, and principles of equitable workload distribution are violated from the perspective of the medical educator. This data provides critical information that can be used to assist medical schools in developing metrics to evaluate faculty performance in medical education and improve retention in academic medicine.

A doctor of pharmacy curriculum revision process focused on curricular overload

OBJECTIVE

The objective is to describe the impact of a curricular revision process using the 8-step Kotter change model to decrease curricular overload in a Doctor of Pharmacy program at a public, research-intensive school of pharmacy.

METHODS

In alignment with the 8-step Kotter change model, the first step was to create urgency for change, which was supported by calls to action to address curricular overload. Next, a coalition of change leaders was formed, who developed 7 curriculum renewal targets to collectively address curricular overload. This vision was communicated at faculty meetings throughout the change process, with requests for feedback. Five curricular working groups were formed to empower action based on their charges. Quick wins were created by early adopters, which built momentum and led to a more streamlined course change process. Lastly, making changes stick requires ongoing evaluation.

RESULTS

In total, required didactic credits were reduced from 92.6 to 79 and didactic courses were reduced from 31 to 23 while ensuring that all required content remained. For many courses, contact hours were also reduced to align with allotted credit hours. Obstacles and challenges were encountered along the way, and a collaborative approach to finding solutions proved beneficial.

CONCLUSION

The key recommendations for implementing curricular changes to address overload include having a change model in place and identifying change leaders to support change and address faculty concerns efficiently. Effective communication through repetition of messaging is critical. Although change is complex, leaning into it with patience and perseverance can lead to success.

Understanding the capacity development of faculty development programs: a sequential explanatory mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

Faculty development programs can bring about both individual and organizational capacity development by enhancing individuals' attitudes, values, and skillsto enable them to implement organizational change. Understanding how faculty development programs produce capacity development, and the influencing factors, requires further understanding. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of the participants of a faculty development program about the capacity development features of the program and the influencing factors.

METHODS

A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used. Faculty members were surveyed about their perspectives on capacity development of faculty development. Subsequently, 22 interviews were conducted with the respondents to deepem understanding of the survey results. Interview transcripts underwent conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 203 completed the questionnaire. Most of the faculty highly agreed that the faculty development programs had produced capacity development. The combined data identified (a) "quality of faculty development programs", underscoring the significance of robust and comprehensive initiatives, (b) "development in instruction", emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement in pedagogical approaches (c) "development in professionalism", highlighting the necessity for cultivating a culture of professionalism among faculty members, (d) "development in attitude towards education", emphasizing the role of mindset in fostering effective teaching practices, and (e) "supporting faculty development programs", with fostering organizational growth and innovation. Important barriers and facilitators of the capacity development process included several organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors.

CONCLUSION

The study identified specific features of the capacity development process in the context of a faculty development program and highlighted the importance of these programs in producing changes in both individuals and within the wider organizational system. Several factors that enabled and constrained the capacity development process were also identified. The findings of the study can inform future implementation of faculty development programs for capacity development.

Using a boundary crossing lens to understand basic science educator and clinical educator collaboration in instructional design

PURPOSE

Collaborations between basic science educators (BE) and clinical educators (CE) in medical education are common and necessary to create integrated learning materials. However, few studies describe experiences of or processes used by educators engaged in interdisciplinary teamwork. We use the lens of boundary crossing to explore processes described by BE and CE that support the co-creation of integrated learning materials, and the impact that this work has on them.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted qualitative content analysis on program evaluation data from 27 BE and CE who worked on 12 teams as part of a multi-institutional instructional design project.

RESULTS

BE and CE productively engaged in collaboration using boundary crossing mechanisms. These included respecting diverse perspectives and expertise and finding efficient processes for completing shared work that allow BE and CE to build on each other's contributions. BE and CE developed confidence in connecting clinical concepts with causal explanations, and willingness to engage in and support such collaborations at their own institutions.

CONCLUSIONS

BE and CE report the use of boundary crossing mechanisms that support collaboration in instructional design. Such practices could be harnessed in future collaborations between BE and CE.

Professional Identity Formation of Medical Science Educators: An Imperative for Academic Medicine

Medical schools increasingly seek the expertise of talented medical science faculty to engage in the educational mission of the school; yet, the professional identity of these individuals is in flux. As courses and departments have become more integrated and less discipline-based, faculty with doctorates in biomedical science disciplines who primarily teach may suffer a loss of connection to their discipline, either in the courses they are teaching or in their home departments. Recent reports suggest that most medical science educators transitioned from the laboratory to the classroom by happenstance-not the most ideal way to build this key segment of the faculty. This article addresses the importance of foundational sciences in medical training, highlights the unique contributions of science educators in medical schools, and makes a case for why the professional identity of medical science educators should be studied. An imperative for academic medicine is to understand the factors that underpin the professional identity formation of medical science educators and to invest in training and nurturing this group of faculty members that are vital to educating the next generation of health professionals.

Digging Deeper, Zooming Out: Reimagining Legacies in Medical Education

Although the wide-scale disruption precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat subsided, there are many questions about the implications of such disruptions for the road ahead. This year's Research in Medical Education (RIME) supplement may provide a window of insight. Now, more than ever, researchers are poised to question long-held assumptions while reimagining long-established legacies. Themes regarding the boundaries of professional identity, approaches to difficult conversations, challenges of power and hierarchy, intricacies of selection processes, and complexities of learning climates appear to be the most salient and critical to understand. In this commentary, the authors use the relationship between legacies and assumptions as a framework to gain a deeper understanding about the past, present, and future of RIME.