Evaluation of residents as teachers using the Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical supervision in medical residencies is conducted simultaneously by staff doctors and senior years residents. Despite their relevance as teachers of other residents and students, most of the time residents as teachers do not have specific training for this purpose. Residents´ performance as clinical teachers is not described adequately.

Objective: Describing the characteristics of residents as clinical teachers of other residents and undergraduate students in Internal Medicine at a University Hospital.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using the Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire (MCTQ) to describe residents as teachers. Residents were compared to staff physicians. Residents of the first years were compared with those who were more advanced in their programs.

Results: 36 residents were evaluated as teachers using the MCTQ instrument. Performance was satisfactory in the role model (mean 4.00 DS 0.81) and learning environment domains (mean 4.36 DS 0.84), but residents didn´t consistently provide feedback (mean 3.67 DS 1.15), encourage students to explore their strengths and weaknesses (mean 3.40 DS 1.08) or encourage students to formulate (mean 3.57 DS 1.05) and meet (mean 3.58 DS 1.10) their learning objectives. Residents as clinical teachers were outperformed by staff physicians. As they progressed in their residency program, they changed the way they conducted clinical supervision.

Conclusions: Residents as teachers showed good performance as a role model and in the creation of a safe learning environment, but their performance could be improved in other clinical teacher roles.