The Clinical Educator Track for Medical Students and Residents

Abstract

Every physician must be equipped with the skills requisite to that of an educator. The physician’s ability to teach effectively and communicate information to others is tested constantly through numerous interactions with patients, medical students, residents, and fellow practitioners, usually under a variety of circumstances. This role as “teacher” ironically begins as a student in one’s clinical years of medical school and continues to develop further during one’s postgraduate training. Such an integral skill set, however, is not innate; rather, it must be learned and frequently improved upon. It is clear that competency in education or the ability to educate others effectively should be incorporated into any physician-training program. While the benefits of resident-as-teacher and educator mentoring programs have been well documented, the utilization of a simulation education program as the site for the development of faculty and medical educators has not been explored. This chapter will review the history and literature on resident and medical student educator mentoring, citing the benefits, differing modes of implementation, and integration of models for adult learning while identifying the role for simulation in regard to the mentoring of medical educators.