AM last page: master's degree in health professions education programs

The rapid growth and expansion of Master of health professions education (MHPE) programs: A mixed-methods study of international curricular trends and guidelines for programs

PURPOSE

This study explores international trends and standards of Master's degree programs through a comprehensive environmental scan and focus group interviews to understand curricular structure, content, program director expectations, educational context, and future directions.

METHOD

Authors conducted a two-phase mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to conduct the environmental scan (phase 1), and subsequently conducting focus groups (phase 2) with program directors. A population list of Master's programs was used to generate a sampling frame, considering the geographic region (continent) and institution type (university, organization, public institution). Qualitative data were coded to analyze the breadth and depth of courses. Three one-hour virtual focus group interviews were conducted with ten program directors.

RESULTS

The population list of 159 Masters programs worldwide was used to create a sample for analysis in the environmental scan (n = 46 Masters programs), representing programs from North America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. Most programs (39%) delivered their courses online, with 20% exclusively offering an in-person program. Focus group participants indicated expectations of graduates, context in which they learn, as well as future directions for improving health professions education graduate programs.

CONCLUSION

Program directors should consider programmatic aims, localized needs, and quality/standard of the program in designing Masters programs, with individualized growth opportunities for learners.

Striking up a Conversation: Exploring Advising in Graduate Programs in Health Professions Education

INTRODUCTION

Advising is happening across the medical education continuum, within non-medical graduate education programs, and is central to the advancement of said learners. This suggests that advising should play a role in graduate health progressions education (HPE) programs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To explore advising curricula among HPE programs, we conducted a website review of all published HPE programs on the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research's website.

RESULTS

We recognized the lack of information published on advisory roles in graduate HPE programs. This prompted a literature review, which revealed a similar gap.

CONCLUSIONS

Advising serves to benefit a student, advisor, and program thus carrying importance and need for discussion. This article is intended to kick-start a scholarly discussion about advising within graduate HPE programs.

Dermatology residents as educators: a qualitative study of identity formation

BACKGROUND

One of the many identities a physician comes to form during their career is their identity as an educator. Exploring formation of this identity may enrich our understanding of how physicians make decisions related to their roles as educators, their behaviors, and how this ultimately influences the educational environment. It is the aim of this study to investigate educator identity formation of dermatology residents while early in their careers.

METHODS

Drawing on a social constructionist paradigm, we conducted a qualitative study, utilizing an interpretative approach. We examined longitudinal data over a 12-month period using dermatology residents' written reflections from their professional portfolios and semi-structured interviews. We collected this data as we progressed through and beyond a 4-month professional development program designed to encourage residents' growth as educators. Sixty residents in their second, third, or final year of residency programs located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were invited to take part in this study. Twenty residents participated with sixty written reflections and 20 semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Sixty written reflections and 20 semi-structured interviews were analyzed. Data was categorized according to themes corresponding to the original research questions. For the first research question regarding identity formation, themes included definitions of education, the process of education, and identity development. For the second research question, 1 theme entitled professional development program included, the following sub-themes: individual act, interpersonal activity, and an organizational undertaking, with many believing that residency programs should prepare residents for their educator roles. Participants also described newfound leadership ambitions of creating new dermatology fellowship programs as a result of taking part in the Resident-as-Educator program.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides insights on the dynamic formation of educator identities amongst dermatology residents. Investment in developing residents as educators through professional development programs may instigate transformational change on the individual physician level and profession's level.

A continuing professional development imperative? Examining trends and characteristics of health professions education doctoral programs

BACKGROUND

Despite the long-standing faculty development initiatives for improving teaching skills in the health professions, there is still a growing need for educators who are formally trained in educational theory and practice as health professions schools experience dramatic demand and growth. Graduate programs in health professions education (HPE) provide an avenue for health professions' faculty continuing professional development to enhance their knowledge and skills for teaching and curriculum leadership roles. There has been a proliferation of certificate, master's, and doctoral programs in HPE over the last two decades to respond to the growing need for well-prepared faculty educators and program leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe current HPE doctoral programs in United States (U.S.) and Canada.

METHODS

The study first examined doctoral programs in HPE identified in earlier studies. Next, we searched the literature and the web to identify new doctoral programs in the U.S. and Canada that had been established between 2014, when the prior study was conducted, and 2022. We then collated and described the characteristics of these programs, highlighting their similarities and differences.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 20 doctoral programs, 17 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. Of these, 12 programs in the U.S. and 1 program in Canada were established in the last 8 years. There are many similarities and some notable differences across programs with respect to degree title, admission requirements, duration, delivery format, curriculum, and graduation requirements. Most programs are delivered in a hybrid format and the average time for completion is 4 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The workforce shortage facing health professional schools presents an opportunity, or perhaps imperative, for continuing professional development in HPE through certificate, master's, or doctoral programs. With the current exponential growth of new doctoral programs, there is a need to standardize the title, degree requirements, and further develop core competencies that guide the knowledge and skills HPE graduates are expected to have upon graduation.

Anesthesiologists With Advanced Degrees in Education: Qualitative Study of a Changing Paradigm

BACKGROUND

Anesthesiology education has undergone profound changes over the past century, from a pure clinical apprenticeship to novel comprehensive curricula based on andragogic learning theories. Combined with institutional and regulatory requirements, these new curricula have propagated professionalization of the clinician-educator role. A significant number of clinician-educator anesthesiologists, often with support from department chairs, pursue formal health professions education (HPE) training, yet there are no published data demonstrating the benefits or costs of these degrees to educational leaders.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to collect the experiences of anesthesiologists who have pursued HPE degrees to understand the advantages and costs of HPE degrees to anesthesiologists.

METHODS

Investigators performed a qualitative study of anesthesiologists with HPE degrees working at academic medical centers. Interviews were thematically analyzed via an iterative process. They were coded using a team-based approach, and representative themes and exemplary quotations were identified.

RESULTS

Seven anesthesiologists were interviewed, representing diverse geographic regions, subspecialties, and medical institutions. Analyses of interview transcripts resulted in the following 6 core themes: outcomes, extrinsic motivators, intrinsic motivators, investment, experience, and recommendations. The interviewees noted the advantages of HPE training for those wishing to pursue leadership or scholarship in medical education; however, they also noted the costs and investment of time in addition to preexisting commitments. The interviewees also highlighted the issues faculty and chairs might consider for the optimal timing of HPE training.

CONCLUSIONS

There are numerous professional and personal benefits to pursuing HPE degrees for faculty interested in education leadership or scholarship. Making an informed decision to pursue HPE training can be challenging when considering the competing pressures of clinical work and personal obligations. The experiences of the interviewed anesthesiologists offer direction to future anesthesiologists and chairs in their decision-making process of whether and when to pursue HPE training.

Health professions education as a discipline: Evidence based on Krishnan's framework

Health professions education (HPE) emerged as a specific domain of higher education in the 1960s. The interim decades brought the development of advanced training in health professions education and the implementation of HPE offices at many institutions of healthcare and education across the world. Despite these advancements, organizations considering the establishment of HPE offices, or advanced HPE training programs are still challenged by approving authorities to demonstrate that HPE is a discipline and not simply a branch of higher education. Although other scholars have proposed defined characteristics to guide the recognition of study fields as separate academic disciplines, Krishnan's framework is easily operationalized and its use has been broadly reported in the management, education, and intelligence studies literature, among others. Krishnan contends that an academic discipline generally presents the following characteristics: (1) an object of study and research that, although particular to the discipline, can be common to others; (2) a body of specialized knowledge, relative to the subject of study and research, typically unique to the discipline; (3) theories and concepts that frame and organize the specialized knowledge of the discipline; (4) specific terminologies or technical language related to the subject of study and research; (5) research methods adapted to the particular demands of the discipline; and (6) an institutional presence demonstrated by teaching at the graduate level of subjects specific to the discipline, and by the existence of academic departments and professional associations. The purpose of this paper is to present arguments in support of the status of HPE as an academic discipline using Krishnan's framework. It is our hope that these arguments will facilitate the efforts of organizations planning for the establishment of HPE offices or advanced HPE training programs at their institutions.

Will I publish this abstract? Determining the characteristics of medical education oral abstracts linked to publication

BACKGROUND

Prior studies have shown that most conference submissions fail to be published. Understanding factors that facilitate publication may be of benefit to authors. Using data from the Canadian Conference on Medical Education (CCME), our goal was to identify characteristics of conference submissions that predict the likelihood of publication with a specific focus on the utility of peer-review ratings.

METHODS

Study characteristics (scholarship type, methodology, population, sites, institutions) from all oral abstracts from 2011-2015 and peer-review ratings for 2014-2015 were extracted by two raters. Publication data was obtained using online database searches. The impact of variables on publication success was analyzed using logistic regressions.

RESULTS

In total, 953 oral abstracts were reviewed from 2011 to 2015. Overall, the publication rate was 30.5% (291/953). Of 531 abstracts with peer-review ratings, between 2014 and 2015, 162 (31%) were published. Of the nine analyzed variables, those associated with a greater odds of publication were: multiple vs. single institutions (odds ratio (OR) = 1.72), post-graduate research vs. others (OR=1.81) and peer-review ratings (OR=1.60). Factors with decreased odds of publication were curriculum development (OR=0.17) and innovation vs. others (OR=0.22).

CONCLUSION

Similar to other studies, the publication rate of CCME presentations is low. However, peer ratings were predictive of publication success suggesting that ratings could be a useful form of feedback to authors.

The Nephrology Clinician Educator: Pathway and Future

In the medical profession, teaching has always been a routine expectation for practicing physicians. While this remains true today, in recent years, we have seen the emergence of a well-defined career pathway for those practicing physicians who want to focus on education: the clinician educator. This is a physician who is highly active in the practice of teaching, science of learning, service as a role model for young physicians, and leading educational programs. In nephrology, one can have a fruitful and fulfilling career as a lifelong clinician educator. As career interest in our specialty wanes, the clinician educator is the professional well suited to reverse this trend. In this article, we will further define the clinician educator and map out a pathway of skills needed to thrive in this rewarding career. We also provide recommendations to both educators and leaders to ensure the clinician educator pathway continues to grow.

Developing a competency framework for Health Professions Education at doctoral level: The first step toward a competency based education

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop the competency framework for Doctoral graduates in Health Professions Education, which is the first step in implementing an outcome-based curriculum. Method: The present study conducted in three phases. First, viewpoints of 100 stakeholders, including students, graduates, faculty members, and educational managers were explored by using Nominal Group technique, survey, and telephone interviews. The extracted codes classified in subcategories and categories through an inductive content analysis approach. In phase two, the findings converted to competency components, sub-domains and competency domains in working groups. Finally, the content validity of the developed components evaluated through qualitative and quantitative approaches. Results: 535 codes, 12 sub-categories, and 7 categories extracted from stakeholders' viewpoints, which were refined to 65 competency components, 12 sub-domains and 7 competency domains in working groups. The final competency framework includes 54 competency components in seven competency domains of a "professional expert", "research and scholarship", "teaching", "interdisciplinary collaboration", "leadership and management", "professionalism", "personal and professional development". Conclusion: Competency framework is essential for the development of a comprehensive and integrated curriculum. It would be possible to implement a competency-based curriculum in the Doctoral program of Health Professions Education by developing the competency framework.

Clinician-Educator Tracks for Trainees in Graduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Clinician-educator tracks (CETs) appear to be increasing in prevalence in graduate medical education (GME) and may play an important role in medical education workforce development. The authors conducted a scoping review to characterize the current state of knowledge about CETs' structure, content, and outcomes.

METHOD

Six databases were searched in January 2018 for English-language peer-reviewed articles published through 2017 to identify articles describing CETs in GME. To be included, the CET had to target GME learners (residents/fellows), be longitudinal, have the primary aim of developing trainees into clinician-educators (CEs), and address at least one CE core competency (direct teaching, curriculum development, mentorship/advising, leadership, assessment, educational scholarship). The authors extracted and analyzed data from included articles.

RESULTS

Of 1,434 articles identified, 19 were included in the review, representing 18 separate CETs. All but 2 CETs (11%) were specialty-specific. Most included a core curriculum with classroom-based sessions (18; 100%), workplace-based opportunities to practice skills (17; 94%), and a required scholarly project (16; 89%). Seventeen (94%) focused on skills related to direct teaching. Four (22%) identified mentoring/advising as a core curriculum focus. Five (28%) required project dissemination. Time spent in CETs varied widely (median: 166 hours; range: 8 hours/4-month period to 1,288 hours/2-year period). The most common reported outcomes were learner reactions (7; 39%) and career tracking (11; 61%).

CONCLUSIONS

This review yields a composite picture of the current state of CETs in GME. The results highlight the paucity of outcomes data and areas for potential standardization and future research.

Authorship Order in Medical Education Publications: In Search of Practical Guidance for the Community

Phenomenon: With scholarly collaborations come questions about the order of authorship. Authorship order is an important consideration because it often used as an indicator of seniority, expertise, leadership, and scholarly productivity. As a result, authorship order factors into decisions about hiring, salary, resource allocation, and professional advancement. This study describes principles commonly applied to authorship order decisions within the medical education community and educators' opinions about the significance of authorship order. Approach: A questionnaire was developed to ascertain current practices related to authorship decisions. Sixteen items were rated in terms of frequency of actual use and the desirability of the practice using a 4-point rating scale: 1 (never), 2 (sometimes), 3 (often), and 4 (always). Additional questions addressed the perceived significance of authorship order. The last set of questions provided information about respondents' personal and career characteristics. The survey was delivered via e-mail to a random sample of 391 subscribers from the DR-ED listserv. Findings: Fifty-four e-mail addresses were returned as undeliverable; of the remaining 337 mailed surveys, 109 responses (32.3%) were received. Five of the current practices for determining authorship order were rated as both frequent and desirable; 4 items had low ratings suggesting that these practices were both infrequent and undesirable. For 7 items, there was a significant gap between the ratings of practice frequency and desirability. When asked about preferred authorship order strategies, most respondents (94%) endorsed listing authors by descending order based on contribution but were split in identifying the last author (47%) or second author (46%) as the next best placement after first author. Respondents supported the practice of many journals requiring authors to disclose their contributions, agreeing (69%) that it provides useful information for promotion and tenure committees; however, 43% were uncertain about how disclosed contributions were reflected in authorship order. Insights: Respondents strongly endorsed the importance of listing authors in order of decreasing contribution, although the meaning of second versus last author lacks consensus. This finding, together the other strategies that received strong endorsement and those that were not strongly endorsed, provides a starting point to develop guidance for medical educators about how to determine authorship order. Clear guidance for authors would promote fairness and accountability within the medical education community as well as provide more consistent interpretation for those who consider authorship order for career- and resource-related decisions.

Addressing needs of diverse stakeholders: Twelve tips for leaders of health professions education programs

Designing and evaluating health professions educational programs require a range of skills in a rapidly changing educational and healthcare environment. Not all program directors possess all the required leadership skills. In this twelve tips article, we describe a systematic approach to effectively address the complexity facing program leadership, implement robust programs and meaningfully evaluate their impact. They also offer a roadmap for managing diverse stakeholders with often competing demands. The tips are categorized under three domains: Planning, Initial Implementation, and Monitoring. Specific recommendations are provided on addressing context, organizational culture, and key relationships along with practical techniques adapted from continuous quality improvement programs. An outcomes-based approach ensures that program leaders balance competing demands. The tips provide a structure for educational leaders worldwide to reflect on what is feasible in their own context, understand and address complexities in program design and evaluation, regardless of the resources at their disposal.

Along the Axes of Difference: Setting Scholarship and Practice Agendas for Faculty Development

The rise of academic clinical education programs underlines the growing influence of faculty development on how health care is taught and therefore practiced. Research to date has outlined the rapid rise of these postgraduate qualifications and their impact on their graduates' professional identities. Given the scale and nature of the change, it is worth considering these programs from a broader perspective. "Axes of difference" are invoked to chart the tensions and intersections between various social identities that form distinctive features of clinical education. Six axes are described: patients-clinicians, trainees-trainers, classrooms-clinics, uniprofessional-interprofessional, local-global, and teachers-clinicians. These reveal a range of complexities about faculty development, which can inform both practice and scholarship agendas.

Individual and institutional influencing factors on completion rates in a medical education master's program in Germany

Background: The increasing significance of didactic aspects in medical education has also led to the development of special postgraduate programs. Completion rates represent an important outcome criterion for these programs of study. Up to today, detailed studies on what factors influence these completion rates have been lacking. Methods: Within the framework of outcomes research, a semi-structured online survey of students was conducted in the Master of Medical Education Germany program. Of the 90 items, 21 referred to the master's thesis that is required for graduation. Results: 157 out of 246 (63.8%) of students from classes 1-10 of the program (study period 2004-2014) participated in the survey. 109 participants had submitted a master's thesis, whereas 45 participants had not completed their studies by submitting a master's thesis. Influencing factors of successful completion were, among other things, little difficulty in choosing the topic, retention of the originally chosen topic, general support by the program administration in the modules and ensuring timely feedback from the advisor, and the provision of temporal, staff and financial resources by the home faculty. The failure to turn in the project report and a lengthy interruption of master thesi's work could be identified as critical parameters. Conclusion: Taking into account these results can contribute to increasing completion rates in medical education graduate programs. Systematic outcomes research leads, moreover, to quality assurance. Such studies should be conducted in a standardized manner in the future, in order to facilitate comparisons between medical education programs.

Educational experiences in a master of health professions education program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Medical schools and healthcare institutions need leaders with formal training in education, in order to provide quality medical teaching. An answer to this need lies in the graduate programs of health professions education. Many programs exist, but there is a dearth of publications about their educational processes and experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching and learning experiences of students, teachers, and graduates of the Master in Health Professions Education (MHPE) program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

METHODS

A qualitative approach was used with focus group discussions with students, graduates, and teachers, to explore their opinions, feelings, and experiences about the program. Purposeful sampling of participants was done. Focus group guides were developed for the different study groups; testimonies were codified and categorized with axial coding and a constant comparison method.

RESULTS

Testimonies from 19 participants in three focus groups were obtained (five graduates, seven current students, and seven teachers). The data were grouped in seven thematic categories: expectations, feedback of research projects, the tutorial process, teaching strategies, usefulness of what was learned, professional development, and assessment. Positive elements of the program were identified as well as areas in need of improvement.

DISCUSSION

The MHPE program at UNAM has been a positive experience for students and mostly fulfilled their expectations, they learned the basic theories and practical aspects of teaching, learning, and assessment in the health professions. Some areas need improvement, such as tutor performance and timely feedback to the students. Graduates think the competencies acquired in the program are useful for their professional practice. This information will be used to improve the program. There is a need to meet international standards in MHPE programs.

The influence of postgraduate qualifications on educational identity formation of healthcare professionals

Demand for postgraduate qualifications in medical education can be judged by the increase in providers worldwide over the last two decades. However, research into the impact of such courses on identity formation of healthcare professionals is limited. This study investigates the influence of such programmes on graduates' educational identities, practices and career progression. Informed by constructivist grounded theory (CGT), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 graduates (2008-2012) from one postgraduate programme, who were at different stages in their careers worldwide. The audio data were transcribed and analysed using a CGT approach. Participants enrolled in award-bearing medical education courses for various intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. The findings from this study highlight their development as educators, and educational researchers, leaders and learners, as their self-efficacy in educational practices and engagement in scholarly activities increased. Graduates attributed career progression to the qualification, with many being promoted into senior positions. They also described substantial performance attainments in the workplace. The findings contribute to understanding the complexity and nuances of educational identity formation of healthcare professionals. A qualification in medical education encouraged transformational changes and epistemological development as an educator. Awareness of these findings will inform both those considering enrolment and those supporting them of potential benefits of these programmes.

Excellence in PhD dissertations in health professions education: Toward standards and expectations

The authors of this perspective contribution have served two terms (2014 and 2016) in the Jury of the biennial Best PhD Dissertation Award committee of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education. During this period, the committee reviewed 32 dissertations. Based on discussions among the jury regarding elements of an award winning dissertation and existing literature, we propose seven criteria to evaluate PhD dissertations: size, breadth of research skills exhibited, coherence of studies, relevance to field, validity, style, communicative power and ethics, and impact of the work. We anticipate these may not only assist similar committees but also provide criteria of excellence for future doctoral work in health professions education.

The MD-MEd Joint-Degree Program at Vanderbilt University: Training Future Expert Medical Educators

PROBLEM

Some medical students are drawn to medical education as an area of academic specialization. However, few options exist for medical students who wish to build a scholarly foundation for future careers in medical education.

APPROACH

In 2011, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) and Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University partnered to establish a novel dual-degree program that, through transfer of credit, allows students to graduate with both an MD and a master of education (MEd) degree in five years. The MD-MEd joint-degree program equips students with robust knowledge and skills related to general education while providing opportunities through independent studies and capstone projects to contextualize these ideas in medical education.

OUTCOMES

This innovation at Vanderbilt University demonstrates the feasibility of an MD-MEd joint-degree program. MD-MEd graduates' demonstrated commitment to medical education and credentials will allow them to take on greater educational responsibilities earlier in their careers and quickly gain experience. The three author participants feel their experiences allowed them to achieve desired competencies as educators. They have each gained early experience by chairing the Student Curriculum Committee and contributing to major curricular reform at VUSM.

NEXT STEPS

The authors plan to integrate specific medical education competencies into the program, which will require MD-MEd students to develop and demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills expected of dedicated medical educators. Graduates' career trajectories will be tracked to explore whether they become medical educators, conduct educational research, and assume leadership positions.

Exploring the tensions of being and becoming a medical educator

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have identified tensions medical faculty encounter in their roles but not specifically those with a qualification in medical education. It is likely that those with postgraduate qualifications may face additional tensions (i.e., internal or external conflicts or concerns) from differentiation by others, greater responsibilities and translational work against the status quo. This study explores the complex and multi-faceted tensions of educators with qualifications in medical education at various stages in their career.

METHODS

The data described were collected in 2013-14 as part of a larger, three-phase mixed-methods research study employing a constructivist grounded theory analytic approach to understand identity formation among medical educators. The over-arching theoretical framework for the study was Communities of Practice. Thirty-six educators who had undertaken or were undertaking a postgraduate qualification in medical education took part in semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Participants expressed multiple tensions associated with both becoming and being a healthcare educator. Educational roles had to be juggled with clinical work, challenging their work-life balance. Medical education was regarded as having lower prestige, and therefore pay, than other healthcare career tracks. Medical education is a vast speciality, making it difficult as a generalist to keep up-to-date in all its areas. Interestingly, the graduates with extensive experience in education reported no fears, rather asserting that the qualification gave them job variety.

CONCLUSION

This is the first detailed study exploring the tensions of educators with postgraduate qualifications in medical education. It complements and extends the findings of the previous studies by identifying tensions common as well as specific to active students and graduates. These tensions may lead to detachment, cynicism and a weak sense of identity among healthcare educators. Postgraduate programmes in medical education can help their students identify these tensions in becoming and develop coping strategies. Separate career routes, specific job descriptions and academic workload models for medical educators are recommended to further the professionalisation of medical education. (Tensions, Fears, Healthcare Educators, Medical Education, Postgraduate Programmes, Identity, Career Choice, Faculty Development, Communities of Practice).

Health Professions Education Graduate Programs Are a Pathway to Strengthening Continuing Professional Development

The need to strengthen the preparation of individuals leading and providing continuing professional development (CPD) programs has grown dramatically within the current health care context. CPD is an integral part of the continuum of health professions education and cuts across the multiple disciplines and professions delivering health care. Each health care profession needs not only to keep up to date on new information within their specific discipline but also continue to develop and expand skills in areas that link interdisciplinary areas, such as quality of care delivery and communication skills, across various professions. In this article, we examine the changing context in which CPD is provided and explain how graduate programs in health professions education can be used as a strategy to strengthen the preparation of individuals for CPD practice and advance the delivery of CPD through evidence-based and innovative strategies.

An Investigation of Teaching and Learning Programs in Pharmacy Education

Objective. To investigate published, peer-reviewed literature on pharmacy teaching and learning development programs and to synthesize existing data, examine reported efficacy and identify future areas for research. Methods. Medline and ERIC databases were searched for studies on teaching development programs published between 2001 and 2015. Results. Nineteen publications were included, representing 21 programs. Twenty programs were resident teaching programs, one program described faculty development. The majority of programs spanned one year and delivered instruction on teaching methodologies and assessment measures. All except one program included experiential components. Thirteen publications presented outcomes data; most measured satisfaction and self-perceived improvement. Conclusion. Published literature on teacher development in pharmacy is focused more on training residents than on developing faculty members. Although programs are considered important and highly valued by program directors and participants, little data substantiates that these programs improve teaching. Future research could focus on measurement of program outcomes and documentation of teaching development for existing faculty members.

The supervisor's toolkit: A framework for doctoral supervision in health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 104

Doctoral studies represent a complex undertaking for students and supervisors. Some research describes the experience of students while there are volumes of advice for students considering a doctorate. Yet the terrain for supervisors is less well-trodden and the concept of a pedagogy of supervision is only really starting to emerge. Texts on the doctoral journey from the supervisor's perspective are uncommon and less yet has been written in the context of health professions education. The aim of this Guide, therefore, is to provide guidance for the supervisor's journey, drawing on our collective experience and such literature as there is. We explore the doctoral journey of students and their supervisors, highlighting what the implications are for supervisory practice. Recognising the doctorate as much more than merely conducting a research project, and seeing it as a shared educational endeavour is fundamental to understanding the doctoral journey - a journey that is complex and mutable, constantly shifting as the candidate moves from novice to expert, from dependence to growing autonomy. Our intention is to present this Guide as a toolkit for both the novice and the experienced supervisor as it, on the one hand, seeks to make the practice of supervision more transparent while on the other, challenges the reader to critically reflect on the supervisory space in which they currently reside. Our hope is that the Guide opens up opportunities for generative conversations about the practice of doctoral supervision in health professions education.

How do postgraduate qualifications in medical education impact on health professionals?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The number of degree-awarding programmes in medical education is steadily increasing. Despite the popularity and extensive investment in these courses, there is little research into their impact. This study investigated the perceived impact of an internationally-renowned postgraduate programme in medical education on health professionals' development as educators.

METHODS

An online survey of the 2008-12 graduates from the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee was carried out. Their self-reported shifts in various educational competencies and scholarship activities were analysed using non-parametric statistics. Qualitative data were also collected and analysed to add depth to the quantitative findings.

RESULTS

Of the 504 graduates who received the online questionnaire 224 responded. Participants reported that a qualification in medical education had significantly (p < 0.001) improved their professional educational practices and engagement in scholarly activities. Masters graduates reported greater impact compared to Certificate graduates on all items, including ability to facilitate curriculum reforms, and in assessment and feedback practices. Masters graduates also reported more engagement in scholarship activities, with significantly greater contributions to journals. These qualifications equally benefited all participants regardless of age. International graduates reported greater impact of the qualification than their UK counterparts.

CONCLUSION

A postgraduate medical education programme can significantly impact on the practices and behaviours of health professionals in education, improving self-efficacy and instilling an increased sense of belonging to the educational community.

Educating the educators: a key to curricular integration

According to Hopkins and colleagues, integration of basic science and clinical practice in the medical curriculum has been "incremental" at best, rather than transformative, in part because of a lack of focus on the individuals central to the integration--basic science educators. These authors maintain that those who lead change in education should not only address the systemic structure but also understand the meaning of integration for individual basic scientists at different levels of change. Their view has merit, and this Commentary author suggests three concrete steps that institutions should undertake to engage basic scientists who are interested in becoming "educationally literate" and assuming leadership roles in curriculum integration: (1) Offer opportunities to help interested basic science teaching faculty gain the necessary expertise to become skilled educators; (2) establish institutional programs and structures that foster a community of medical educators across departments and schools; and (3) align institutional priorities and incentives to promote, rather than hinder, integration in medical education. In essence, curricular integration cannot succeed if the participants do not understand the "language of education." Furthermore, faculty who opt for an education-focused career path should be brought together from across departments, centers, and schools to create a community of educators within the academic health center. Finally, institutional leaders should place high value and proper incentives in terms of recognition and opportunities for faculty advancement to ensure that those opting to gain additional training as skilled educators will drive innovation and help move curricular reform from incremental change to transformation.

Preparing leaders in health professions education

In the past 15 years, the number of Master's degree programs in Health Professions Education (MHPE) has grown from 7 to 121 programs worldwide. New MHPE programs continue to be developed each year, due to increased demand for individuals with specialized knowledge concerning how to best educate future health professionals. During the 2012 Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) meeting in Lyon, France, a symposium was organized to explore the reasons for the proliferation of MHPE programs worldwide. In particular, the issues explored included the need for such programs, their outcomes in developing education leaders and scholars in HPE, and facilitators, barriers and models for initiating such programs. This paper synthesizes the discussion during this symposium. Some of the reasons for enrolling in a Master's degree program in HPE include the formal credential, knowledge of a number of theories and frameworks, new approaches to problems and ways of thinking, the mentored project, and networking and working with faculty and students. The uniqueness of being a trainee in an MHPE program is the immersion in the medical education environment and the assimilation of a new approach to scholarship and a new approach to leadership.

Doctoral programs in health professions education

The interest to pursue doctoral degrees in the health professions is increasing exponentially. Some reasons for this increase include innovations in curriculum and instructional strategies, competency-based assessment, particularly at the postgraduate level, and accreditation requirements. Through various electronic search methods, interviews, review of documents and site visits, 24 structured doctoral programs were identified worldwide that offer a PhD in health professions education (HPE) or medical education. A number of other programs were also identified that do not follow a structured curriculum; however, through supervision and guidance, candidates could complete a number of publishable projects thus meeting the requirements for a doctorate degree. Also, some institutions train fellows for doctoral degrees in HPE without necessarily advertising or labeling the programs as a PhD in medical or HPE. There are also discipline-specific PhDs, such as medicine and dentistry, which focus on education. For example, a student interested in studying surgical technical skills could be directed to take a PhD in kinesiology. It is time for institutions and individuals to start thinking about disciplinary diversity and not focus exclusively on studies of medical education.