Beyond Residents-as-Teachers: The Development of an Advanced Medical Education Pilot Elective for Pediatric Residents

Introduction An advanced medical education elective can encompass themes that transcend traditional residents-as-teachers curricula. The literature is scarce regarding the development of such a curriculum for pediatric residents. Objectives To develop and implement an advanced medical education elective for pediatric residents and evaluate the effectiveness of the educational strategies and curriculum. Methods Kern’s Six Steps were applied to create a two-week-long elective for pediatric residents. Residents worked through Kern's model to collaboratively develop the elective. Faculty were recruited based on expertise and content previously created. Residents developed teaching sessions for fourth-year medical students and received feedback. The curriculum was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative feedback with a five-point Likert scale and open-ended questions, group discussions, elective evaluations, and the New World Kirkpatrick Model. Results Five residents, 17 students, and 22 faculty participated. Lectures, expert panels, group discussions, and teaching sessions were seen as effective instructional methods. All residents were satisfied with the elective and its strategies and developed useful skills. Resident-led teaching sessions and interactive learning strategies were cited as a strength, while some redundancy was noted as a weakness. Faculty recommended more formal feedback on resident-led teaching sessions in the future. Conclusions Our medical education elective was designed collaboratively with residents on a medical education track. Strong faculty participation, asynchronous learning, and resident-led teaching sessions were strengths of the curriculum. The curriculum’s reproducible components may serve as a foundation for institutions interested in improving their medical education didactics for residents. More research is needed to determine the external validity of this novel curriculum.