Global Health Research Mentoring Competencies for Individuals and Institutions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Mentoring is beneficial to mentors, mentees, and their institutions, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), that are faced with complex disease burdens, skills shortages, and resource constraints. Mentoring in global health research can be enhanced by defining key competencies, to enable the skill set required for effective mentoring, determine training needs for local research mentors, and facilitate institutional capacity building to support mentors. The latter includes advocating for resources, institutional development of mentoring guidelines, and financial and administrative support for mentoring. Nine core global health research mentoring competencies were identified: maintaining effective communication; aligning expectations with reasonable goals and objectives; assessing and providing skills and knowledge for success; addressing diversity; fostering independence; promoting professional development; promoting professional integrity and ethical conduct; overcoming resource limitations; and fostering institutional change. The competencies described in this article will assist mentors to sharpen their cognitive skills, acquire or generate new knowledge, and enhance professional and personal growth and job satisfaction. Similarly, the proposed competencies will enhance the knowledge and skills of mentees, who can continue and extend the work of their mentors, and advance knowledge for the benefit of the health of populations in LMICs.

The Evolution of Mentorship Capacity Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Case Studies from Peru, Kenya, India, and Mozambique

Following the Fogarty International Center-supported "Mentoring the Mentors" workshops in South America, Africa, and Asia, approaches and guidelines for mentorship at institutions within these low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts, appropriate for the respective regional resources and culture, were implemented. Through the presentation of case studies from these three geographic regions, this article illustrates the institutional mentorship infrastructure before the workshop and the identified gaps used to implement strategies to build mentorship capacity at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru), Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kenya), Saint John's Research Institute (India), and Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique). These case studies illustrate three findings: first, that mentorship programs in LMICs have made uneven progress, and institutions with existing programs have exhibited greater advancement to their mentoring capacity than institutions without formal programs before the workshops. Second, mentoring needs assessments help garner the support of institutional leadership and create local ownership. Third, developing a culture of mentorship that includes group mentoring activities at LMIC institutions can help overcome the shortage of trained mentors. Regardless of the stage of mentoring programs, LMIC institutions can work toward developing sustainable, culturally effective mentorship models that further the partnership of early career scientists and global health.

Doing philosophy effectively II: A replication and elaboration of student learning in classroom teaching

An important aim of teaching philosophy in Dutch secondary schools is to learn about philosophy (that is, the great philosophers) by doing philosophy. In an earlier study published in PLoS ONE, we focused on the relationship between student learning activities and teacher behavior by analyzing eight lessons. Correspondence analysis revealed that doing philosophy was more effective in some lessons than in others. We replicated this finding in the current study, using 10 new lessons, and elaborated on the relationship between the likely causes for doing philosophy effectively. The data suggest that conducting a dialogue in the form of a philosophical discussion is sufficient for achieving an effective lesson, whereas the teachers’ guidance being shared with the students is a necessary but not sufficient condition for achieving an effective lesson.

Teaching sociology to undergraduate medical students

Understanding the social basis of health and medicine and the contexts of clinical care are essential components of good medical practice. This includes the ways in which social factors such as class, ethnicity, and gender influence health outcomes and how people experience health, illness, and health care. In our Guide we describe what sociology is and what it brings to medicine, beginning with the nature of the "sociological imagination." Sociological theory and methods are reviewed to explain and illustrate the role of sociology in the context of undergraduate medical education. Reference is made to the 2016 report, A Core Curriculum for Sociology in UK Undergraduate Medical Education by Collett et al. Teaching and student learning are discussed in terms of organization and delivery, with an emphasis on practice. Sections are also included on assessment, evaluation, opportunities, and challenges and the value of a "community of practice" for sociology teachers in medical education.

Video versus live lecture courses: a comparative evaluation of lecture types and results

BACKGROUND

Video lectures are an increasingly popular format. They allow an individual choice of time, place and speed of learning.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to compare whether video lectures are as effective as live lectures to impart the complete contents of the clinical part of the medical exam. The study also examines whether students prefer live or video lectures and for what reason.

DESIGN

In 2014, a preparatory course was held at the University of Göttingen to train medical students for the clinical part of the medical exams. Three-quarters of the participants received 41 four-hour lessons live, while the same lessons were shown on video to the remaining quarter. The assignment to the video group changed daily, so that all students saw both live and video lectures. To compare the effectiveness, it was evaluated for 205 students how video and live students answered the 301 multiple choice questions of the medical exam.

RESULTS

There is hardly any difference regarding effectiveness. 36,735 of 46,926 questions (78.283%) were correctly answered by the live group, while 11,617 of 14,779 questions (78.605%) were correctly answered by the video group (n.s., p = 0.407, effect size ω = 0.003337). There were some differences in subjective evaluation: 48% of students preferred live lessons, 27% preferred video lessons and 25% stated 'neutral'. The items 'learning atmosphere', 'ability to concentrate', 'presence of other students' and 'acoustic intelligibility' were assessed significantly better for the video courses than for the live courses. No item of the live course was rated better than in the video course.

CONCLUSIONS

Video and live lectures are equally effective in preparation for the clinical part of the medical exams. Video lectures offer many benefits for the students and for the faculties, and may complement and partly replace conventional live events.

Inspiring the next generation of academic physicians: the academic health careers program

There is growing evidence in the medical education literature for the aggressive need to recruit and retain the next generation of academic physicians. In 2008, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UK COM) developed an academic health careers (AHCs) program for preclinical medical students as an introduction into the practice of academic medicine. The goals of this elective experience included (1) highly customized training and mentorship experiences in research, teaching, and other aspects of academic medicine; (2) information and perspectives to assist students in making informed career choices, including options for academic careers; (3) access to academic career mentors and role models related to individual faculty research interests and teaching responsibilities; and (4) opportunities to network with UK COM administrators. This short communication provides a detailed overview of the AHC experience - along with preliminary findings from a 2016-17 follow-up of program graduates exploring the program's role in their career aspirations and decisions.

Gross anatomy education for South African undergraduate physiotherapy students

Eight faculties in South Africa offer undergraduate physiotherapy training with gross anatomy included as a basis for clinical practice. Little information exists about anatomy education for this student body. A 42-question peer-reviewed survey was distributed to physiotherapy gross anatomy course coordinators in all the eight faculties. Seven coordinators from six (75%) of the universities responded. Two respondents' data from the same university were pooled. Collected data show that staff qualifications and experience varied widely and high to average staff to student ratios exist between faculties. Direct anatomy teaching duration was 12.3 (SD ±5.2) weeks per semester. Total number of weeks in courses per faculty was 27.6 (SD ±5.7) varying widely between institutions. Calculable direct contact anatomy hours ranged between 100 and 308 with a mean of 207.6 (SD ±78.1). Direct contact hours in lectures averaged 3.9 (SD ±1.6) per week and the average direct contact hours in practical sessions were 3.5 (SD ±1.8) per week. Dissection, prosection, plastinated models, surface anatomy, and e-learning were available across faculties. Ancillary modalities such as vertical integration and inter-professional learning were in use. All faculties had multiple-choice questions, spot tests, and short examination questions. Half had viva-voce examinations and one had additional long questions assessment. Students evaluated teaching performance in five faculties. Four faculties were reviewing anatomy programs to consider implementing changes to anatomy curriculum or pedagogy. The findings highlighted disparity between programs and also identified the need for specific guidelines to develop a unified South African gross anatomy course for physiotherapy students.

Twelve tips for teaching quality improvement in the clinical environment

Medical educators are expected to teach quality improvement (QI) skills alongside traditional clinical skills such as physical examination and bedside manner. Educational resources for intensive training in QI have proliferated. However, many physicians lack the time or resources to undergo this training, and may struggle with teaching these skills to their learners. In response, we offer twelve tips to help physicians teach basic QI concepts in the clinical environment. By following these tips physicians will be able to engage their learners interest in QI and provide experiential learning that makes a lasting impact.

An evaluation of flipped e-learning experiences

AIM

The "flipped" classroom is an educational strategy gaining popularity for its growing evidence base that suggests it may successfully improve learning outcomes. Also known as reverse instruction, this approach has been typically implemented and studied in in-person post-secondary settings. The utilization of a flipped approach in the healthcare education literature has been examined in a wide range of contexts, but little has been written regarding continuing professional development (CPD). Therefore, with success in other contexts there is potential for the flipped classroom approach to enhance student satisfaction, learner engagement, and learning outcomes in the context of online education for CPD.

METHODS

In this paper, we describe the structure and format of such a course using a qualitative case study framework.

RESULTS

This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of effective ways of overcoming distributed learning challenges in online CPD using a flipped approach.

The effect of communication skills training on patient-pharmacist communication in pharmacy education: a meta-analysis

Communication skills in pharmacy education and practice are increasingly regarded as a crucial component. However, thus far, estimating of the overall communication skills training (CST) effects in a variety of outcomes is lacking. The aim of this study was to synthesize the effects of CST in pharmacy education by performing a meta-analysis of CST studies. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Communication and Mass Media Complete (CMMC), key journals, and bibliographic databases. The effect sizes (ESs) were extracted and pooled in random effects meta-analyses. We assessed the quality of the study using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). From 34,737 articles, 9 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall effect size for CST was 0.611 (95% CI 0.327-0.895), and it was statistically significant (p = 0.000). We found based on the subgroup analyses that CST has a large effect size when it used stand-alone courses, lecture-lab based courses, video recordings, feedback, training for 2 or more semesters, hours per week ≥5 h and external assessments. For the CST effect, the effect sizes were ranked in order of confidence, knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The result of the meta-regression is that the total number of attendees is significantly negatively correlated with the effect sizes of the CST. The findings of the present meta-analysis provide evidence that CST in pharmacy education may act as an efficient way to improve the communication competency of students, and it may serve as a guide for pharmacy educators.

Improving near-peer teaching quality in anatomy by educating teaching assistants: An example from Sweden

Peer-assisted learning has gained momentum in a variety of disciplines, including medical education. In Gothenburg, Sweden, medical students who have finished their compulsory anatomy courses have the option of working as teaching assistants (TAs). Teaching assistants provide small group teaching sessions as a complement to lectures given by faculty. Previously, TAs were left to handle the role as junior teachers by themselves, but since 2011, a continuation course in anatomy has been developed with the aim of providing the TAs better anatomy knowledge and guidance for teaching. The course was designed to comprise 7.5 ECTS credits (equivalent to 5 weeks of full-time studies), and today all TAs are required to take this course before undertaking their own teaching responsibilities. This study aims to compare course evaluations of TA teaching before and after the introduction of the anatomy continuation course, in order to understand how students perceived teaching performed by self-learned versus trained TAs. The results of this study demonstrate that there was a trend towards better teaching performed by trained TAs. The variability in rankings decreased significantly after the introduction of the continuation course. This was mainly due to an improvement among the TAs with the lowest levels of performance. In addition to comparing student rankings, TAs were interviewed regarding their experiences and perceptions within the continuation course. The course was generally positively regarded. The TAs described a sense of cohesion and appreciation since the institute invested in a course dedicated specifically for them. Anat Sci Educ 11: 403-409. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.

Dissecting the role of sessional anatomy teachers: A systematic literature review

Worldwide there is a growing reliance on sessional teachers in universities. This has impacted all disciplines in higher education including medical anatomy programs. The objective of this review was to define the role and support needs of sessional anatomy teachers by reporting on the (1) qualifications, (2) teaching role, (3) training, and (4) performance management of this group of educators. A systematic literature search was conducted on the 27 July 2017 in Scopus, Web of Science, and several databases on the Ovid, ProQuest and EBSCOhost platforms. The search retrieved 5,658 articles, with 39 deemed eligible for inclusion. The qualifications and educational distance between sessional anatomy teachers and their students varied widely. Reports of cross-level, near-peer and reciprocal-peer teaching were identified, with most institutes utilizing recent medical graduates or medical students as sessional teachers. Sessional anatomy teachers were engaged in the full spectrum of teaching-related duties from assisting students with cadaveric dissection, to marking student assessments and developing course materials. Fourteen institutes reported that training was provided to sessional anatomy teachers, but the specific content, objectives, methods and effectiveness of the training programs were rarely defined. Evaluations of sessional anatomy teacher performance primarily relied on subjective feedback measures such as student surveys (n = 18) or teacher self-assessment (n = 3). The results of this systematic review highlight the need for rigorous explorations of the use of sessional anatomy teachers in medical education, and the development of evidence-based policies and training programs that regulate and support the use of sessional teachers in higher education. Anat Sci Educ 11: 410-426. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Healthcare at the Crossroads: The Need to Shape an Organizational Culture of Humanistic Teaching and Practice

BACKGROUND

Changes in the organization of medical practice have impeded humanistic practice and resulted in widespread physician burnout and dissatisfaction.

OBJECTIVE

To identify organizational factors that promote or inhibit humanistic practice of medicine by faculty physicians.

DESIGN

From January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2016, faculty from eight US medical schools were asked to write reflectively on two open-ended questions regarding institutional-level motivators and impediments to humanistic practice and teaching within their organizations.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty eight of the 92 (74%) study participants who received the survey provided written responses. All subjects who were sent the survey had participated in a year-long small-group faculty development program to enhance humanistic practice and teaching. As humanistic leaders, subjects should have insights into motivating and inhibiting factors.

APPROACH

Participants' responses were analyzed using the constant comparative method.

KEY RESULTS

Motivators included an organizational culture that enhances humanism, which we judged to be the overarching theme. Related themes included leadership supportive of humanistic practice, responsibility to role model humanism, organized activities that promote humanism, and practice structures that facilitate humanism. Impediments included top down organizational culture that inhibits humanism, along with related themes of non-supportive leadership, time and bureaucratic pressures, and non-facilitative practice structures.

CONCLUSIONS

While healthcare has evolved rapidly, efforts to counteract the negative effects of changes in organizational and practice environments have largely focused on cultivating humanistic attributes in individuals. Our findings suggest that change at the organizational level is at least equally important. Physicians in our study described the characteristics of an organizational culture that supports and embraces humanism. We offer suggestions for organizational change that keep humanistic and compassionate patient care as its central focus.

Students as partners: Our experience of setting up and working in a student engagement friendly framework

BACKGROUND

Student engagement (SE) in the curriculum is a positive indicator in the development of students deeply involved in their learning. It also has several benefits for the schools' level of educational innovation and quality assurance.

METHOD

In order to identify the most important pearls from the last decade of educational developments within the field of SE at the Faculty of Medicine University of Maribor, we searched through our school's archives, publications and research in the field of medical education.

RESULTS

Three areas were identified as the most important SE complements: (i) peer teaching, (ii) school governance, and (iii) extracurricular activities. The paper highlights how many student-driven initiatives move from informal frameworks toward a formal structure, elective courses, and, in the end, compulsory components of the curriculum.

DISCUSSION

As demonstrated by the three educational achievements at our school, fostering a high level of SE can lead to innovative curricular changes, benefit the whole school and enable students to deliver highly impactful extracurricular projects.

The contribution of theory to the design, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional curricula: BEME Guide No. 49

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional curricula have often lacked explicit reference to theory despite calls for a more theoretically informed field that illuminates curricular assumptions and justifies curricular practices.

AIM

To review the contributions of theory to the design, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional curricula.

METHODS

Four databases were searched (1988-2015). Studies demonstrating explicit and a high-quality contribution of theory to the design, delivery or evaluation of interprofessional curricula were included. Data were extracted against a comprehensive framework of curricular activities and a narrative synthesis undertaken.

RESULTS

Ninety-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies (86%) originated from the UK, USA, and Canada. Theories most commonly underpinned "learning activities" (47%) and "evaluation" (54%). Theories of reflective learning, identity formation, and contact hypothesis dominated the field though there are many examples of innovative theoretical contributions.

CONCLUSIONS

Theories contribute considerably to the interprofessional field, though many curricular elements remain under-theorized. The literature offers no "gold standard" theory for interprofessional curricula; rather theoretical selection is contingent upon the curricular component to which theory is to be applied. Theories contributed to interprofessional curricula by explaining, predicting, organizing or illuminating social processes embedded in interprofessional curricular assumptions. This review provides guidance how theory might be robustly and appropriately deployed in the design, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional curricula.

Twelve tips for using clinical cases to teach medical ethics

The essential role of clinical case discussions in the teaching of medical ethics is well recognized. Based upon published literature and the authors' curricular development experience, the following 12 tips cover all major aspects of the case method for teaching clinical ethics and offer practical suggestions for designing and conducting case discussions.

A decade of reform in medical education: Experiences and challenges at Tehran University of Medical Sciences

PURPOSE

In this paper, we present the major curricular reform in MD program of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, the oldest and the largest medical university in Iran, initiated about a decade ago.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Following a comprehensive program evaluation, many of the basic challenges of the traditional curriculum were revealed, namely, lack of pre-defined competencies for graduates, over-reliance on teacher-centered teaching methods, over-emphasis on knowledge base in student assessments, and focusing solely on biomedical aspects of patient care. In 2010, a vision statement for reform was created and approved by the University Council. The new curriculum was launched in 2011.

RESULTS

The changes included: revising the content of the courses, assimilating horizontal and vertical integration, emphasizing clinical skills, encouraging active involvement in patient management, providing more opportunity for supervised practice, integrating behavioral and psychosocial topics into the curriculum, incorporating interactive teaching methods, assessing students' higher levels of cognition, and strengthening workplace assessments. To evaluate the changes, data were continuously collected and analyzed from the beginning.

CONCLUSIONS

Changing the curriculum of an MD program is a laborious task which should be planned and undertaken carefully and cautiously. It is an endless, yet invaluable and satisfying endeavor toward better future.

The alignment imperative in curriculum renewal

RATIONALE

There are perennial calls for MD curricula to reform in order to meet the changing needs of students, patients, and society. And yet, efforts at renewal have also been suggested to have minimal impact on the pedagogy and outcomes of medical education. One reason may be misalignment between the components of the curriculum during design and implementation. The University of Toronto MD program recently renewed its undergraduate preclinical Foundations curriculum. Mindful of the pitfalls of misalignment, the renewal process focused deliberately on alignment between the various components of the curriculum: instructional methods, student assessment, faculty development, and the larger purpose of serving students and society.

INNOVATION

Educational evidence was used to drive the alignment process which resulted in three major changes. First, we created a spiral curriculum centered on 72 virtual patient cases designed to integrate content and prepare students for clinical learning. Second, we introduced a novel medical psychiatry component to address a core societal need in mental health. This exposed students early to experiences of complexity, ambiguity, and integrated patient care. Lastly, a shift to assessment for learning and programmatic assessment was designed and implemented concurrently to reinforce the pedagogy of the curriculum. Synchronous faculty development was developed for the new roles required of faculty.

CONCLUSIONS

Early program evaluation shows alignment of these curricular components requires ongoing attention and resources in order to be successful. The potential benefits of this alignment are well prepared students who can meet the needs of their patients and society in an increasingly complex health system.

Communities of practice: influences on pedagogical reasoning and action of nursing professors

OBJECTIVES

To analyze how the practice shared in communities of teaching practice in public and private universities influences the pedagogical reasoning and action of nursing professors based on Wenger's concepts of community, negotiation of meaning, and learning.

METHODS

Case study conducted with two professors teaching nursing in a public and a private university in Brazil. Data collection included triangulation of sources and was conducted from April 2014 to July 2015. Data were organized in ATLAS.ti and analyzed using the constant comparative method, which generated three metacategories.

RESULTS

In both cases the program's project is shared repertoire and grounds negotiation of meaning in the practice that takes place in the pedagogical reasoning and action phases but negotiation is different between communities and cases. Learning is either solitary or has the influence of at least one other member but does not occur on an institutional basis.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing schools could offer more than program's project to the negotiation of meaning and improve learning on practice in their communities as police of teachers education to improve pedagogical reasoning.

School of Medicine of Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte: A traditional curriculum with innovative trends in medical education

INTRODUCTION

The Medical School of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) is one of the biggest public medical schools in Northeast Brazil. In the last decade, significant investment in faculty development, innovative learning methodologies and student engagement has been key milestones in educational improvement at this medical school, harnessed to recent political changes that strengthened community-based and emergency education. This study describes how curriculum changes in UFRN Medical School have been responsible for major improvements in medical education locally and which impacts such transformations may have on the educational community.

METHODS

A group of students and teachers revised the new curriculum and established the key changes over the past years that have been responsible for the local enhancement of medical education. This information was compared and contrasted to further educational evidences in order to define patterns that can be reproduced in other institutions.

RESULTS

Improvements in faculty development have been fairly observed in the institution, exemplified by the participation of a growing number of faculty members in programs for professional development and also by the creation of a local masters degree in health education. Alongside, strong student engagement in curriculum matters enhanced the teaching-learning process.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to a deeper involvement of students and teachers in medical education, it has been possible to implement innovative teaching-learning and assessment strategies over the last ten years and place UFRN Medical School at a privileged position in relation to undergraduate training, educational research and professional development of faculty staff.

Training medical students for the twenty-first century: Rationale and development of the Utrecht curriculum "CRU+"

AIM

The aim of this report, written for the 40th anniversary issue of Medical Teacher, is to document 20 years of development of the Utrecht undergraduate medical curriculum, as both to exhibit accountability and to inform the community of the process and choices that can be made in long-term curriculum development.

METHODS

We used the SPICES model, created by Medical Teacher's Editor Ronald Harden and colleagues in 1984.

RESULTS

The Utrecht six-year program, now called "CRU+", has many distinct features that were introduced, most of which are well documented. A limited selection includes  • A new 3+3 years Bachelor-Master structure following the EU Bologna rules leading to MD registration for cohorts of about 300.  • Horizontally integrated classroom teaching of basic sciences with clinical disciplines predominantly in groups of 12 and limited lectures.  • Mandatory knowledge retention tests, retesting the clinically relevant core knowledge from block tests of semesters one through four.  • Vertical integration not only linking clinical experience with background knowledge, but also exemplified by a stepwise increase in health care responsibilities throughout the curriculum.  • A final year focussing on growth towards the level of a primary responsible physician in a 12-week sub-internship for a limited number of patients and beds, in a chosen specialty. The student is called a semi-physician in the clerkship of this transitional year to residency.  • Teaching skills training for all medical graduates, an elective teaching rotation and various peer-teaching arrangements throughout the curriculum.  • Integrated semi-longitudinal clerkships with an assessment focus on entrustment decisions for Entrustable Professional Activities.

CONCLUSION

UMC Utrecht has made a continuous attempt to both develop its medical curriculum and to study and report on its development in the literature, regarding new methods found and insights derived. UMC Utrecht will remain committed to developing training to meet twenty-first century demands of medical graduates.

Twelve tips for using applied improvisation in medical education

Future physicians will practice medicine in a more complex environment than ever, where skills of interpersonal communication, collaboration and adaptability to change are critical. Applied improvisation (or AI) is an instructional strategy which adapts the concepts of improvisational theater to teach these types of complex skills in other contexts. Unique to AI is its very active teaching approach, adapting theater games to help learners meet curricular objectives. In medical education, AI is particularly helpful when attempting to build students' comfort with and skills in complex, interpersonal behaviors such as effective listening, person-centeredness, teamwork and communication. This article draws on current evidence and the authors' experiences to present best practices for incorporating AI into teaching medicine. These practical tips help faculty new to AI get started by establishing goals, choosing appropriate games, understanding effective debriefing, considering evaluation strategies and managing resistance within the context of medical education.

Teaching to varied disciplines and educational levels simultaneously: An innovative approach in a neonatal follow-up clinic

PURPOSE

Across various health conditions and geographic regions, there remains a dearth of clinicians with the expertise and confidence to identify and manage children with disabilities. At the front line of this crisis are clinician-educators, who are tasked with caring for these unique patients and with training the future workforce. Balancing patient care and clinical instruction responsibilities is particularly challenging when trainees of varied educational levels and specialties report simultaneously. The lack of a standard curriculum further compounds the clinician-educator's teaching demands and threatens the consistency of trainees' learning. Recognizing these challenges in their work in a neonatal follow-up clinic, the authors sought a solution through an established curriculum development process.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A needs assessment survey was conducted to gauge medical trainees' knowledge, skills, and experiences. Applying needs assessment findings, the authors developed a curriculum, which was administered online to several trainee cohorts just prior to rotations in the neonatal follow-up clinic.

RESULTS

After completing the curriculum, trainees scored significantly higher on neonatal follow-up knowledge tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing advance exposure helped to ensure that trainees arrived with comparable basal knowledge, which served as a foundation for more advanced instruction. This curricular approach may be useful across teaching venues, especially those with multi-level or multi-discipline learners.