Number
613
Name
The Medical Educator Pathway: A Pilot Program to Cultivate Teaching Skills in Medical Students
Date & Time
Monday, June 16, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Exhibition Hall C
Presentation Topic(s)
Student Support
Description

Purpose
In contemporary medical education, clinician-educators are crucial. While many residency programs offer a resident-as-teacher pathway, recent literature highlights the importance of developing students' educator skills early through a student-as-teacher program in undergraduate medical education. The Medical Educator Pathway aims to foster a lasting interest in medical education, cultivating a lifelong educator identity and enthusiasm for the field.

Methods
Our comprehensive program spans three years. Key components, identified through literature review and institutional needs assessment, include a didactic curriculum, direct peer teaching opportunities, evaluation and feedback of teaching skills, a medical education-focused capstone project, and optional individualized coaching with a faculty coach. Students receive a certificate of completion upon meeting all criteria.

Summary
We developed a longitudinal extracurricular program parallel to the medical curriculum to enhance students' knowledge of educational theory and teaching abilities. The pilot was offered to 40 high-performing medical students who are peer tutors through the institution’s Learning Enrichment Office. The program was well-received, with 29 (73%) of the invited students enrolling. The students are comprised of 5 (17%) second-, 13 (45%) third-, and 11 (38%) fourth-year students. Longitudinal program evaluation is ongoing. We anticipate the 11 fourth-year students will successfully complete the program in 2025. The program has secured faculty and institutional support to continue beyond the pilot.

Conclusion
The Medical Educator Pathway nurtures interest in medical education and using best practices, equips students with essential and innovative skills to prepare them as future clinician-educators. The design allows students to tailor the curriculum to their interests and goals while managing the demands of medical education. Crafting a robust yet flexible student-as-teacher program is achievable without disrupting existing medical school commitments and empowers students to actively engage in their educational journey.

Presentation Tag(s)
International Presenter