Chief Residents as Educators: An Effective Method of Resident Development

BACKGROUND: The importance of teaching residents how to instruct medical students is recognized, but time and logistics challenge the implementation of teaching skills programs. No study has described a dissemination model with chief residents as trainers and managers of a teaching skills program. DESCRIPTION: All chief residents in three departments (n = 16), participated in an 8-hr train-the-trainer teaching skills program and then trained 178 residents through seven 1-hr sessions. Outcome was measured through student surveys using a validated instrument with seven teaching domains and overall assessment of teaching effectiveness. EVALUATION: Survey results revealed a significant improvement in the vast majority of teaching domains 9 months after implementation of the program in all three departments. Student perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness improved in two departments and trended upwards in the third. CONCLUSION: A resident teaching skills program utilizing chief residents as trainers resulted in improved 3rd-year medical student ratings of resident teaching.