Faculty experiences regarding a global partnership for anesthesia postgraduate training: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Medical Education
• Human Resources for Health

Background:

• International partnerships for postgraduate medical education are growing.
• These collaborations aim to build human resources for health in low- and middle-income countries.
• Limited data exist to guide the development of these educational programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore faculty experiences in an international postgraduate medical education partnership.
• To identify challenges and opportunities in establishing and sustaining such programs.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with visiting and local faculty.
• Participants were from the University of Zambia Master of Medicine Anesthesia Program.
• Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Faculty identified differences in clinical practice, resource limitations, and organizational issues.
• Communication among distributed visiting faculty was a key challenge, impacting learning and assessment.
• Balancing adaptation to local contexts with maintaining patient safety standards was an ongoing concern.

Conclusions:

• Faculty experiences in this partnership highlight challenges and opportunities.
• Maintaining an effective and engaged faculty is vital for program sustainability.
• Findings can inform the development of similar international medical education initiatives.