MedTalks: developing teaching abilities and experience in undergraduate medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Training
• Professional Development

Background:

• Physicians are expected to teach, but medical students often lack formal teaching experience and feedback opportunities.
• The CanMEDS Scholar competency highlights the importance of facilitating learning for various health professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pilot teaching program, 'MedTalks,' designed to provide medical students with teaching experience and feedback.
• To assess the impact of this program on medical student confidence and enthusiasm for teaching.

Main Methods:

• The 'MedTalks' program involved first- and second-year medical students teaching undergraduate students in lecture and small group formats.
• Medical student-teachers received multi-source feedback from undergraduate learners and faculty educators, alongside self-evaluation.
• Four 3-hour sessions were conducted, including content lectures and physical examination skills training.

Main Results:

• Over 50 medical students participated as teachers in the MedTalks program.
• 100% of participants found the program useful for developing teaching skills.
• 92% reported increased confidence in their teaching abilities due to practical experience and feedback.

Conclusions:

• A structured program offering diverse teaching experiences and feedback significantly boosts medical student confidence and enthusiasm for teaching.
• Further research is needed to correlate self-perceived teaching improvements with independent observations of teaching performance.