Medical Students as Educators: Students’ Experience, Interest, and Confidence in Teaching

Leah Cha, BA; Lydia Buzzard, BS; Mallory Jasicki, MPH; Jennifer Mirrielees, MD, MS; Aimee T. Broman, MA; Scott Mead, MD

WMJ. 2022;121(4):323-328

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ABSTRACT

Background: Medical students represent the next generation of physician educators, yet may not be prepared to meet future teaching responsibilities.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to medical students at a US allopathic institution to assess their experience, interest, and confidence in teaching.

Results: Most students indicated interest in teaching medical students (n = 91, 62%) or residents (n = 88, 60%) postresidency. Less than half expressed confidence in teaching clinical interviewing/physical exam skills (n = 71, 49%), lecture/didactic (n = 62, 42%), and procedural techniques (n = 41, 28%).

Discussion: Many medical students identified having only nascent medical teaching skills and expressed interest in elective opportunities. Formal teaching programs are necessary to cultivate medical students as effective physician educators.

Author Affiliations: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin (Cha, Buzzard, Jasicki, Mirrielees, Broman, Mead).
Corresponding Author: Scott Mead, MD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 750 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53706; phone 608.263.6400; email smmead@wisc.edu.
Funding/Support: This work was supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grant UL1TR002373. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Financial Disclosures: None declared.
Ethical Approval: This study was exempt from review by the University of Wisconsin Institutional Review Board.

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