Questioning Aid for Rich, Real-Time Discussion (QARRD): A Tool to Improve Critical Thinking in Clinical Settings

Disentangling faculty development: A scoping review towards a rich description of the concept and its practice

BACKGROUND

There is wide variation in how faculty development (FD) is practiced globally and described in the literature. This scoping review aims to clarify how FD is conceptualised and practiced in health professions education.

METHODOLOGY

Using a systematic search strategy, 418 papers, published between 2015-2023, were included for full text review. We extracted data using closed and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were summarised using descriptive statistics and qualitative data synthesised using content analysis.

RESULTS

Faculty development was the most frequently used term encompassing a range of understandings and practices. Many papers focused on educators' enhanced understanding of teaching, learning, and assessment. Several highlighted the social context of collaborative practice and organisational learning. FD formats included workshops, courses, longitudinal programs, and coaching and mentoring. Dominant conceptual frameworks included Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation, communities of practice theory, adult learning theory, and experiential learning.

CONCLUSIONS

Although FD continues to evolve in response to the dynamic HPE landscape, this growth needs to be accelerated. To facilitate meaningful collaboration across professions, contexts, and countries, attention must be paid to terms used and meanings ascribed to them. Those responsible for FD need to think anew about its purpose and practice, demonstrating flexibility as the ever-changing context demands.

A Developmental Approach to Mid-Career Faculty Leadership Training at Two Academic Medical Centers

Leadership training helps position faculty to guide various aspects of health care and health professions education at academic medical centers. With the increasing complexity of these responsibilities, it is essential that academic medical centers provide leadership skill-development opportunities to faculty. This work describes the structure of two internal mid-career faculty leadership development programs that were created to cultivate future institutional leaders from within the organization. These year-long programs were each established in 2017 and have been implemented annually. Both programs use a developmental approach with project-based, experiential learning so that leadership skills are applied immediately and meaningfully. Internal leadership programs support context-specific skills, while creating a community of leaders and a culture of leadership across the institution. Multidisciplinary participants bring diverse perspectives, and intra-institutional interactions foster collaborations. Internal, longitudinal training also supports comprehensive development more than is typically possible with short-term, external leadership programs. Other organizations can use these program descriptions and insights to develop similar internal, mid-career leadership training opportunities. While the broader academic medicine community benefits from faculty advancement whether training is within the institution or elsewhere, internal leadership training promotes context-specific development at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels.