Background:
Near-peer teaching (NPT) is an effective educational model in medical
training, but the specific benefits to near-peer instructors remain
understudied. Understanding the educational, cognitive, and professional
development outcomes for Near-Peer Teaching Assistants (NPTAs) is essential
for designing sustainable peer-teaching models in pre-clinical education.
 
Innovation:
A pilot NPT program was implemented in Fall 2025 in the Foundations of
Medicine I (FOM I) course at the Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of
Medicine. This is an intensive pre-clinical course covering cell biology,
physiology, and histology. Senior students completed a structured NPTA
Onboarding Curriculum covering teaching strategies, learning theory,
assessment methods, and course-specific content. NPTAs developed
instructional materials, conducted virtual reviews, and participated in an
evaluative survey assessing knowledge reinforcement, teaching confidence,
leadership development, and Step 1 preparation. In parallel, first-year
students participated in pre- and post-session quizzes, and satisfaction
surveys.
 
Methods:
NPTAs completed a voluntary 10–15 minute anonymous survey evaluating prior
content familiarity, time commitment, and perceived academic and professional
benefits. First-year students completed pre- and post-quizzes and provided
subjective feedback on the usefulness of NPTA-led sessions.
 
Results:
NPTAs overwhelmingly reported gains in multiple areas: long-term retention
of FOM I material, confidence in explaining complex topics, communication and
teaching skills, and enhanced awareness of personal knowledge gaps. Many
reported that preparing and teaching content directly contributed to their
readiness for Step 1 and supported their emerging professional identities as
mentors and educators. These benefits occurred without negatively impacting
the NPTAs’ ongoing coursework. First-year students demonstrated improved
post-quiz performance (5–20 point increases) and expressed uniformly positive
perceptions of NPTA-led instruction.
 
Conclusion:
This pilot suggests dual benefits: NPT improves first-year student learning
while simultaneously supporting senior students’ knowledge reinforcement,
professional development, and self-efficacy as educators. Our findings
support integrating NPT into pre-clinical curriculum with structured
recruitment, training, and mentorship to ensure sustainability.