Preceptor engagement in distributed medical school campuses

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Distributed Medical Campuses
• Physician Engagement

Background:

• Growing interest in distributed medical campuses and community physician involvement.
• Suboptimal recruitment of physicians for medical education at distributed sites.
• Need to understand barriers to community physician engagement in medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify barriers to medical education engagement for community physicians.
• Focus on physicians in the Waterloo Regional Campus catchment area.
• Inform strategies for improving physician participation in distributed medical education.

Main Methods:

• Conducted in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with non-teaching physicians.
• Transcribed and analyzed interview recordings using iterative coding and thematic analysis.
• Achieved thematic saturation through continued interviews.

Main Results:

• Nine key themes emerged from six interviews.
• Identified barriers related to academic vs. distributed sites, teaching interest, finances, and administration.
• Highlighted issues with knowledge currency, practice environment, teaching training, and learner systems.

Conclusions:

• Barriers to physician teaching engagement stem from community job structures, administrative issues, and insufficient teaching knowledge.
• Addressing misperceptions and exploring engagement opportunities is crucial for expanding distributed medical campuses.
• Recommendations for improving physician involvement in distributed medical education settings.