September Faculty Development: Measuring Competency as a Clinical Teacher

Measuring Competency as a Clinical Teacher By Elizabeth Herrle, MD

What does it mean to be competent?

  • Competence is a global assessment of an individual’s abilities as they relate to that individual’s current responsibilities. To be competent is “to possess all the required abilities in all domains in a defined context at a particular stage in clinical training”1.

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August Faculty Development: Teaching communication skills for difficult conversations

Teaching communication skills for difficult conversations-Annabelle Rae C. Norwood, MD MMP Geriatrics

As professionals working in the medical field, we are often tasked with difficult conversations of delivering bad news, disclosing medical error, or initiating advance care planning and end-of-life discussions with patients and their families. More often than not, skills needed to effectively communicate with patients about these difficult topics are not developed fully during medical training.  As such, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education now requires competency in communication skills for residents and fellows.1 There are different methods available in order to hone these skills.

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July Faculty Development: How to Excel as a Mentor, According to Mentees

How to Excel as a Mentor, According to Mentees

Kaylee Underkofler, MD/MPH Candidate, Maine Track ‘18

What does it take to become a great mentor? While many have pondered this immense question, Lee et al. and Cho et al. sought an answer from perhaps the most important judge of mentors: mentees.1,2 Their goal was to identify the characteristics and practices of exceptional mentors in the eyes of students. The five tips listed below are a unified summary of their results. It is proposed that these ideas could be used to self-assess mentoring abilities, to build faculty development programs, or to guide students and young faculty in the search for a mentor.2 While all the nuances that go into becoming a truly great mentor could not be captured here, this list does include what is most commonly cited as being appreciated by mentees and serves as a place to start for those looking to improve their mentoring abilities.

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June Faculty Development: Teaching Digital/E-Professionalism-Reflections for deepening understanding of professional identity on social media

Teaching Digital/E-Professionalism:  Reflections for deepening understanding of professional identity on social media

Nicholas Knowland, TUSM-Maine Track Program, M18

Ensuring the public trust in the medical profession is the reason for promoting professionalism as a key component of medical education. Therefore medical curricula place significant emphasis on the development of professional behaviors.

Digital professionalism, or e-professionalism, describes the increasing interaction of medical professionalism with the greater public through social media outlets. The terms are new but the reality that online images or postings can reflect on students or practitioners has been present for some time and is usually associated with negative connotations.  This has resulted in what some authors have described as a ‘hidden curriculum of digital unprofessionalism’ in which digital unprofessionalism is punished but rarely overtly taught. Despite the consequences that digital unprofessionalism lead to for a clinical student or clinician, the academic literature is increasingly focusing on the positive opportunities associated with professional physician social media use, such as using social media to actively share quality information.

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May Faculty Development: The Art of Retention

The Art of Retention

Karyn King TUSM-MMC, M18

It’s midnight the night before a final exam and you’re sitting in front of a pile of notes that you half-heartedly studied while watching the entire series of Friends (again) during the past four weeks of your histology course. Driven by caffeine and an ingrained fear of failure, you realize it’s time to cram every fact you can into your brain before your 8:00 am exam tomorrow morning. Flash forward to one week later when your test scores come out. You nervously open the grading portal, an 87! You think to yourself, “not bad, what was that exam on again?!”

Does this scenario sound at all familiar?

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April Faculty Development: Developing an Implicit Bias Curriculum: Six point Framework

Developing an Implicit Bias Curriculum: Six point Framework

John Gilboy, MS4 Tufts Maine Track.

Implicit bias has been shown to impact clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.1 In addition to clinical outcomes, bias among health care professionals has been linked to the gender gap within health care leadership and specialties. 2 While exploring health care disparities has been a focus in all levels of medical education, few educational interventions have adequately addressed recognition bias. Below is a six-point framework described by Sukhera et al to implement an implicit-bias-informed educational curriculum for health care provider.

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March Faculty Development: How To Teach Quiet Learners

How To Teach Quiet Learners

 Journal Club Entry by Anne Sprogell, TUSM-Maine Track Program, M18

In order to understand how to teach a quiet learner, it is first important to understand a quiet learner. Shy, quiet, or introverted learners are generally characterized by increased reflective thinking and reduced sociability. Their strengths can include the ability to focus, pay attention to details, take thorough notes, and listen to patients and team members. However, these students can struggle with certain aspects of medical school including group discussions with a larger number of students, forming relationships quickly with colleagues in the ever-changing teams of residents and attendings on inpatient services, and in rounds when ideas need to be offered quickly and assertively. Despite these challenges, there might be a few tips that teachers can use to allow their quiet students to shine. Read More…

February Faculty Development: How to Get the Most Out of a Survey

How to Get the Most Out of a Survey
By: Kimberly Dao, Maine Track, M’18

‘‘Let’s just do a quick survey.’’
— Someone in everyone’s program

Surveys are an easily accessible and commonly used tool in many disciplines. However, the quality of responses and response rate can vary dramatically. Below are some basic tips to maximize your survey.

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January Faculty Development: Power Posing to Increase Presentation Quality

Power Posing to Increase Presentation Quality     

Andy Biedlingmaier, Tufts M18 Student on Medical Education Elective

Humans and nonhuman primates use open and expansive postures to convey power.  However, new research shows that these “high-power poses” not only communicate power, they also create it.  Therefore, high-power posing can be used to boost presenter confidence, and consequently improve audience evaluation, during high-stakes presentations.

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December Faculty Development: How do you learn best? Effective Teaching and Learning Style Preference

How do you learn best? Effective Teaching and Learning Style Preference

By: Sarah Couser, Maine Track MS4

Do you prefer to have a map or written directions when you travel somewhere new? When you pick up a new book, do you buy a hard copy or the audiobook? As a student, did you write notes meticulously or prefer to have a more hands-on learning experience?

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