Faculty’s Perception of Their Role as a Medical Teacher at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Purpose Medical teaching is a highly demanding and complex task. The advanced integrated curriculum and modern educational practices demand the roles of the medical teacher be redefined. This study was designed to understand the perceptions of the faculty of the Dental College, Qassim University, about their key roles as a teacher. These perceptions can be used to design faculty development workshops to enhance the awareness of the faculty about their educational responsibilities and achieve their potential. Methods It was a cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted on the faculty of the College of Dentistry, Qassim University, KSA. The study used a validated 12-item e-questionnaire to measure the perceptions of faculty about their teaching roles. Results A total of 44 faculty members submitted the e-questionnaire. Most faculty members perceived the most important role of the medical teacher as an information provider (90%) in clinical settings, followed by an on-job role model (89%). The least important role perceived was curriculum evaluator (82%) followed by curriculum planner (79%). Conclusion The role of a medical teacher has extended beyond the boundaries of information providers. The faculty of Qassim University exhibited their awareness about modern-day medical education and recognized the most important role of a medical teacher to be not only an information provider but also an on-job role model and academic advisor to students.