Developing residents as educators: A medical education track within a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program

An academic career requires knowledge and skills in providing clinical care, research, and medical education. More medical trainees are now aspiring to become clinician-educators. The objective of this descriptive study was to design and implement an optional 18-month Medical Education Track for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) residents and assess resident confidence in medical educator knowledge and skills. A survey for trainees to self-evaluate their confidence in teaching skills, mentorship, and educator skills was developed. All resident physicians were surveyed at the start of their PGY3 year as a needs assessment. All residents were surveyed again 18 months later. Twenty-six out of thirty-six residents participated in the optional Medical Education Track (72.2%). All PM&R trainees demonstrated improved confidence in teaching, mentoring, and medical educator skills over an 18-month period. Participants in the Medical Education Track had higher scores in all domains. There was a high degree of satisfaction with the Track amongst participants, with all domains rated between "somewhat satisfied" and "extremely satisfied." A dedicated Medical Education Track may be a useful way to train PM&R resident physicians in medical education knowledge and skills to provide a foundation for future careers in medical education. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.