Article by Dr. Hassan Baloch, MD
Many physicians are engaged in medical teaching these days. However, the great majority have had no formal training as medical teacher and are sceptical about learning theory. A teacher has a significant role in the students’ learning. Effective teaching is essential in all fields and especially in medicine as to produce good quality doctors. Medical education is a constantly developing field. In teaching hospitals, the medical teacher usually serves the dual role of a clinician as well as a teacher.
Qualities of an Effective Medical Teacher:
Different studies about medical teaching methodology have been carried out over the course of time and have summarized some of the following qualities that makes an effective medical teacher:
- Knowledge of Subject:
This is an important quality that a medical teacher should possess irrespective of field, gender, teaching experience, or cultural background. There is a huge responsibility on medical teachers as their students are going to deal with human lives in future.
- Enthusiasm:
A medical teacher should be enthusiastic, excited about the teaching and should motivate students to learn . A medical teacher must have recognition of a relationship, emotional activation, generate responsibility, self awareness and competence.
- Communication Skills:
Effective communication skills has emerged as one of the top quality characteristics accounting for teaching effectiveness. Rider at al stated that, “communication is a core clinical skill that can be taught and learned”.
- Teacher as a Mentor and Leader:
A medical teacher should be a mentor and a leader to his students. A teacher must have some non-cognitive qualities such as instilling self-confidence in the students, encouraging creative activities along with empathy and humor.
- Empathic Understanding:
A good medical teacher should have an empathic understanding. This means that the teacher should attempt to sense the fear, anger, anxiety and insecurity of the student and yet remains objective thereby maintaining a helping relationship with students. This would enhance effective learning.
As medical education is complex, so attention must be directed toward the teaching process as well as the teaching content so as to yield good doctors.
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Dr. Hassan Baloch, MD, is a doctor by the day and a content/academic writer by night. Coming from medical background while having aced my grades in O and a levels, writing has always been my passion. Dr. Baloch writes well-researched, SEO friendly articles.
References:
R.M. Harden, Joy Crosby(2000)AMEE Guide No 20: The good teacher is more than a lecturer – the twelve roles of the teacher,Medical Teacher,22:4,334-347,DOI: 10.1080/014215900409429
Susan Martin(1994)The Mentoring Process in Pre‐service Teacher Education,School Organisation,14:3,269-277,DOI: 10.1080/0260136940140304
Sutkin G, Wagner E, Harris I, Schiffer R. What makes a good clinical teacher in medicine? A review of the literature. Acad Med. 2008 May;83(5):452-66. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31816bee61. PMID: 18448899.
Reilly BM. Inconvenient truths about effective clinical teaching. Lancet. 2007 Aug 25;370(9588):705-11. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61347-6. PMID: 17720022.
Mcber H: Department For Education. Research into Teacher Effectiveness A Model of Teacher Effectiveness.
Griffin, M. A., Neal, A., & Parker, S. K. (2007). A New Model of Work Role Performance: Positive Behavior in Uncertain and Interdependent Contexts. The Academy of Management Journal, 50(2), 327–347. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20159857
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