Diamond goals not graphite! A triangulation approach to clinical teachers’ needs assessment

Background: Clinical faculty development plays a significant role in the professional empowerment of future physicians. Identification of educational needs is an important step in planning faculty development. This study identified the educational needs of medical faculties in the clinical setting. Methods: This cross-sectional needs assessment study was conducted in Iranian medical universities during 2016-2018 using a triangulation paradigm. A total of 384 medical clinical faculties, 54 medical education specialists, and 194 faculty evaluation forms completed by medical residents participated in the study using a convenient randomized sampling method. The data were gleaned with a researcher-made questionnaire with 14 areas developed on the basis of clinical education goals and contexts and were analyzed with SPSS16 using descriptive statistic indices such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency percentile. Analytical tests including independent t-test, chi-square and Cramer's V were also applied (p<0.05). The content validity, face validity, and reliability were approved. Results: The response rate was %59 (227) for clinical faculties, %77 (42) for medical education specialists, and %58 (110) for residents. Professionalism was the first priority of needs from the viewpoint of clinical faculties and faculty development planners. The clinical teachers' highest level skills, in their own perspective and also students’ perspective, were procedure training and grand round, whereas their lowest level skills were emotional intelligence and morning report. The greatest gap existed between the current skill and the need is management and leadership in the clinical setting. Cramer’s index ranged between 0.18 and 0.34 (p<0.05); hence, there was a correlation between the current status and the announced needs in all subjects. Conclusion: Designers of faculty development programs ought to pay due attention to areas of professionalism, management, and leadership and carry out accurate and comprehensive planning to enable students to become competent future physicians in the roles of therapist, manager, teacher, supporter, and researcher.