Evaluation of the “Resident as teacher” curriculum: a needs assessment in medical education at a large academic institution

Introduction Strong skills in teaching for residents contribute to increased satisfaction and improved student interest. Few opportunities in medical education are offered at the junior resident level. We aim to evaluate the needs of residents in teaching at Université de Montréal Methods A 19 question survey created after a literature review was sent to all 769 current PGY1 to PGY3 residents at UdeM to assess their interest and needs in various aspects of clinical teaching. Descriptive statistics were analyzed to make recommendations for improvements in medical education training. Results We received 65 completed surveys (8.5% response rate), mostly in family and internal medicine. Eighty percent of participants were interested in further training in teaching and 58% were interested in a medical education elective. Main skills to be improved are indirect supervision and adapting feedback to different learners. Lack of time was considered by most responders (89%) as the main factor limiting participation in further training. Narrative comments noted the lack of information on medical education resources and lack of recognition by faculty compared to clinical performance or research, particularly in family medicine. Conclusion Protected time for varied medical education activities is needed, including better offers for an elective rotation. Information on currently available resources should be more widely circulated. Promoting and recognizing teaching and reserving time for direct supervision by faculty of teaching by junior residents should be encouraged.