From single course to comprehensive programme: Experiences developing and establishing an Office for Medical Education

Since 2002 several individual courses in medical education have been offered by the Frankfurt University Medical School and its teaching hospital. This programme was expanded in 2011 into a comprehensive, structured programme covering the broad spectrum of topics surrounding teaching; the programme is housed within the Medical School as part of the Frankfurter Arbeitsstelle für Medizindidaktik (FAM). The following factors were critical to successful implementation: existing programmes in other German states (primarily Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia) with matching requirements, support from the Deans of Studies, anchoring attendance rules for medical education courses in the university rules and regulations governing who is qualified to lecture at the university level, and a sufficient number of faculty members interested in teaching as a discipline in itself. The programme’s core elements include a basic course for all newly hired faculty with teaching responsibilities and a modular design that allows individuals to focus on their particular interests and needs. Although the programme is largely mandatory, there is a high level of satisfaction and a lasting growth in knowledge among participants.