Your Career as a Medical Educator – Guidance for UTMB Faculty

1. Your Career as a Medical Educator – Guidance for UTMB Faculty Michael Ainsworth, MD Professor, Internal Medicine Associate Dean, Regional Medical Education

2. Objectives • To answer the most common faculty questions about medical education • What are the opportunities to teach? • How can I develop my skills in medical education? • How can I prioritize time spent in medical education? • How do medical education activities influence career advancement?

3. Hallmarks of “Good Teachers” • Knowledge • Command of the current state of knowledge in their area • Make knowledge accessible • Communicate effectively • Adapt to the needs of the audience • Convey a sense of genuine enthusiasm for both the subject matter and student mastery • Able to evaluate their learners • Determine their own effectiveness

4. Why Do You Teach? • Career goal • Want (expect) to be judged on education as a substantial part of your responsibilities • You should excel • Personal satisfaction • Sense of pride; makes patient care more rewarding • You can excel • You have no choice • Students and residents are around me and it is an expectation, not something I value • Responsible performance is expected, but you are unlikely to excel

5. Why Do You Teach? • You have no choice • Students and residents are around me and it is an expectation • Responsible performance is expected, but you are unlikely to excel What are the opportunities to teach? How can I develop my skills in medical education? How can I prioritize time spent in medical education? How do medical education activities influence career advancement?

6. Prioritizing Time in Education • Teach what is teachable • What does the course/program expect • What are you in a position to do/judge • Interest in the learner and the patient • Learners know you are busy • Best role model is excellent clinical care • Manage your time • One-minute preceptor, “wave” scheduling • Engage the learner • Expect them to know their patients

7. Why Do You Teach? • Personal satisfaction • Sense of pride; makes patient care more rewarding • You can excel What are the opportunities to teach? How can I develop my skills in medical education? How can I prioritize time spent in medical education? How do medical education activities influence career advancement?

8. Opportunities to Teach • During direct patient care • Balance two roles • Self-contained • Outside of direct patient care • Large-group (lectures) • Smaller group (case/problem-based learning) • Assessment exercises (standardized-patient exams) • Other • Advising/mentoring • Clinical research What is your strength?

9. Developing Skills in Medical Education • Lectures • Often part of a series - a few hours/year • Workshops • Often dispersed - few half-days per year • Courses • Some by specialty societies - a few days/year • Programs • UTMB Scholars in Education - 3 hrs/month x 18 months plus a project • National programs - weeks to months Accommodates a range of needs

10. Why Do You Teach? • Career goal • Want (expect) to be judged on education as a substantial part of your responsibilities • You should excel What are the opportunities to teach? How can I develop my skills in medical education? How can I prioritize time spent in medical education? How do medical education activities influence career advancement?

11. Assess Yourself and Your Environment • Yourself • Ready to make education a priority? • Are you comfortable with authority/leadership? • What job skills do you need to succeed? • Your environment • Are there opportunities to develop teaching skills? • Can you identify a mentor? • Can you negotiate a satisfactory time commitment? Just like research and patient care, you must be prepared to excel if you wish to succeed on the basis of educational effort

12. Medical Education as a Career • Must coordinate with program’s expectations • What if your boss has other ideas? Has such a discussion taken place? • Need a support system • Mentors can help you with goals, ideas, and skills Most faculty never establish such a person • Need a way to document accomplishments • The CV of most faculty does not do this well Must communicate educational accomplishments

13. Medical Education

14. Medical Education

15. Criticisms of EducationalPeer Review • Peer review is not necessary • Myth: I know how to teach • Fact: Few of us have any training in education • Peer review is not possible • Myth: Good teaching is all about style • Fact: Several ways to measure effectiveness • Peer review is too personal and intimidating • Myth: Too demeaning to critique a peer’s teaching • Fact: Accepted in research and patient care

16. How to Deal With Peer Review

17. Traits of Successful Medical Educators • Maintained a dialogue with their boss • Sought opportunities to advance their skills • Sought and maintained a relationship with a mentor • Created a portfolio • Sought opportunities to demonstrate leadership • Solicited peer review

18. Conceptual Thresholds for Advancement for Educators* *These represent guidelines for faculty on the non-tenure track, and are the views of Dr. Ainsworth, not a specific policy for advancement. Departments and promotion committees consider the qualifications of each candidate individually.

19. Success and Happinessas a Medical Educator • Talk to your boss • Take advantage of courses and workshops • Find a mentor • Start a portfolio • Seek leadership roles • Solicit peer review • Realize some of this will be “on your own time”