Improving residents' teaching skills: a program evaluation of residents as teachers course.

BACKGROUND The role of residents as teachers is recognized as an important part of medical education. However, residents may not possess the practical skills needed to teach medical students effectively. AIM In response to a Liaison Committee on Medical Education citation concerning surgery residents' teaching skills, the University of Louisville School of Medicine instituted a campus-wide residents as teachers program based on the bringing education and service together curriculum. METHODS This evaluation plan is grounded on Kirkpatrick's four levels model. Levels 1 and 2 data included post-session learner questionnaires (2007 and 2008) and open-ended facilitator questionnaires (2008). Levels 3 and 4 data included third year medical students' responses to CourseEval questions on residents as teachers (2005-2006 and 2007-2008) and data from third year medical student focus groups (2008). RESULTS Levels 1 and 2 data analysis showed statistically significant improvements from session to session in Year I and significant improvements between Years I and II. Levels 3 and 4 data analysis showed third year students' perceptions of most residents as teachers remained high and improved significantly in the surgery clerkship. CONCLUSION Short-term and long-term measures show this curriculum to be successful for an interdisciplinary group of residents.