Expectations of and for Clerkship Directors 2.0: A Collaborative Statement from the Alliance for Clinical Education

Under pressure: Supporting academic faculty in demanding times

Medical education has long relied upon the inherent rewards of teaching to secure necessary educators. In an era of increasing emphasis upon clinical productivity, the expectation of faculty engagement in medical education has been upended. In addition, the demands and stressors of modern medical education has contributed to the perceived cost of teaching by faculty. This article describes the factors that have coalesced to change the environment in which medical education has long succeeded and provides strategies that can be employed to help mitigate these forces, increase perceived value in teaching, and better support the academic faculty upon which medical education depends.

Educational roles impact burnout in paediatric undergraduate medical educators

BACKGROUND

Physician burnout impacts all levels of medical education and has a relatively unknown impact on those responsible for medical student education, particularly in paediatrics. This study examines the prevalence of burnout among paediatric undergraduate medical educators and explores the impact of roles in medical education on medical educator burnout.

METHODS

This cross-sectional mixed-methods study utilised a binational survey of paediatricians involved in undergraduate medical education. Respondents answered demographics, standardised questions about burnout and attitudes towards students, and an open-ended probe about interactions between medical student education and wellness.

FINDINGS

Of 445 possible, 120 (26.9%) responded to demographic and burnout questions. Of these, 23.3% endorsed burnout, 21.7% high emotional exhaustion (EE) and 10.8% high depersonalisation (DP). High levels of student-related burnout symptoms were reported by fewer than 5% of respondents and were correlated with overall EE and DP. Content analysis revealed four emergent themes: positive effect of student-related role, need to balance medical education and clinical roles, impact of protected time and medical education-related autonomy on educator well-being, and the burden of the administrative portion of educational roles.

DISCUSSION

Participating paediatric educators had low rates of burnout compared with paediatricians as a whole in prior studies. The vast majority found working with students rewarding and described the overall positive impact of their medical education role on wellness.

CONCLUSION

Physician involvement in rewarding non-clinical activities may improve their overall well-being. Providing dedicated time for these activities may ameliorate the difficulty that many medical educators described in balancing their clinical and educational roles. Future studies should continue to explore how we can better support medical educators and the impact of this support on burnout.

Eight-Year Investigation of the Impact of the Clerkship Administrator Certificate Program

Introduction: The roles and responsibilities of the administrative staff supporting required clinical medical student experiences have evolved. In 2004, the Association of American Medical Colleges Central Group on Educational Affairs (CGEA) offered for the first time the Clerkship Administrator Certificate Program. This program requires the completion of a series of workshops and a project and results in a certificate. Research related to long-term outcomes of professional development programs such as this is limited. The purpose of our study was to explore the impact this professional development program had on the careers of participants.

Methods: We conducted a survey of those who completed the qualifying workshops from 2010 to 2018. The survey was based on program content, including questions to explore the self-described impact on their careers. Categorical and scaled data were summarized using descriptive statistics. The realistic evaluation framework was used to guide inductive and deductive content analysis, allowing respondent interpretations and context to define outcomes.

Results: Out of 244 invitations, 50 (20.5%) responded. Of the respondents, 40 still work in medical education. Scaled responses (strongly disagree to strongly agree) were positive. The individual's motivation, departmental climate, and other contextual factors (experience, collaborators, time) impacted workshop participants’ ability to complete the certificate program. Those who completed certification noted various forms of recognition locally, ranging from special recognition by the chair, raises, and promotions. Additionally, participants felt more confident and accomplished in their careers.

Conclusions: Although positively rated, the success of this program had differential outcomes depending on participant contexts. Unintended results for participants completing the program resulted in promotions. Applying the realistic evaluation framework provided insights to improve the program.