Collaboration of junior students and residents in a teacher course for senior medical students

Background: This paper describes the curriculum and impact of an innovative resident-as-teacher course at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The intent of the course is to prepare students across undergraduate and graduate medical education for their roles as teacher, learner and leader during residency. Method: The elective introduces teaching skills curricula during year two of medical school and integrates it into residency years. The course was developed with the premise that integrating facets of graduate and undergraduate medical education offers students diverse perspectives of the teaching/learning process. Students completed a pre-/post-course questionnaire and an end-of-course evaluation, from which data were gathered to determine course impact. Results: Students reported increased confidence levels in their teaching skills from pre- to post-test. Post-test data indicated that 88% of students ‘agreed’ and 12% ‘strongly agreed’ that the course equipped them with ‘skills which will enable [them] to provide teaching that supports effective learning’, an increase from pre-test data which indicated that 50% ‘agreed’ and 50% ‘disagreed’. Conclusion: Results indicate the course did effect a change in students’ attitudes to teaching as evident from comments such as, ‘I will be a better teacher because I have been given the appropriate tools’.