Training experts in family medicine teaching

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Family Medicine
• Professional Development

Background:

• Family medicine teachers require specialized educational skills for the discipline's advancement.
• A structured framework for professional development is crucial for European family medicine education.
• The European Academy for Teachers in Family Medicine (EURACT) developed an educational expertise framework.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a teaching expertise framework for family medicine.
• To outline an international three-level course program for 'teaching-the-teachers'.
• To share experiences and lessons learned, particularly from the novel level-three program for proficient teachers.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theoretical framework for family medicine teaching expertise.
• Implementation of an international, three-level course program based on the framework.
• Evaluation of experiences and lessons learned from the program, especially the level-three component.

Main Results:

• A theoretical framework for family medicine teaching expertise was successfully developed.
• An international, multi-level educational program was created and implemented.
• Experiences with the level-three program for proficient teachers provided valuable insights.

Conclusions:

• It is feasible to create a robust framework for family medicine teaching expertise.
• This framework can be effectively applied in a high-level international educational program.
• Further research is needed to validate the approach, and sustainability challenges include costs and recruitment.