Women's experiences of working as a Clinical Teaching Associate teaching sensitive examinations: a qualitative study

Increasingly, professional patient programs are used for training medical students to perform pelvic examinations, yet we know little of the experiences of women who teach medical students these sensitive examination skills.

To describe the experiences of women working as Clinical Teaching Associates (CTAs) teaching medical students the technical and communication skills required to perform pelvic examinations.

Twelve women employed as CTAs participated in semi-structured interviews. Individual interviews were used to identify major themes in women's experiences of teaching sensitive examinations to medical students.

CTAs identified unique difficulties in their work including negative attitudes from others towards their role and the unpleasantness of the examination, although other challenges (such as teamwork issues or providing negative feedback to colleagues) were characteristic of many work situations. Effective communication was identified as central to the CTA role and the women described growth in their communication skills and assertiveness that they applied to other aspects of their work and personal lives. CTAs were motivated to join the program and remained in the program because of an interest in women's health and a desire for meaningful work, which they believed improved the examination and communication skills of future doctors. Positive interactions with work colleagues were a valued part of the role and a primary motivator to remain in the program.

Highlighting the experiences of women working as CTAs validates the significant teaching role these women perform and, from a pragmatic perspective, may increase understanding of the best way to attract and retain women to these important teaching roles.