What do medical students expect in a teacher?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pedagogy
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Student preferences for medical teachers vary within institutions.
• Identifying key teacher qualities can help standardize teaching effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the essential qualities medical students seek in their teachers.
• To understand factors influencing student preference for medical educators.

Main Methods:

• A single-centre cross-sectional study surveyed 181 medical students.
• The Modified Delphi technique was used over three rounds to achieve consensus on desired teacher qualities.
• Students ranked identified qualities by importance.

Main Results:

• Teaching and interpersonal skills were ranked highest by students (88% and 87%, respectively).
• Personal (83%) and professional (77%) skills were also highly valued.
• Administrative skills were considered least essential (62%).

Conclusions:

• A medical teacher's effectiveness is strongly linked to their teaching ability and interpersonal skills.
• Personal and professional qualities are also crucial factors in student preference.
• Focusing on these core competencies can enhance overall medical teaching quality.