An Irish Experience in Establishing and Evaluating an Intern Led Teaching Programme

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Peer Teaching
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Near-peer teaching is an emerging pedagogical approach in medical education.
• Intern-led teaching programs offer unique benefits to student learning.
• Establishing structured intern-led teaching requires careful planning and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate a structured Intern-Led Teaching (ILT) program within an Irish Intern Training Network.
• To assess the impact of ILT on final year medical students' learning experiences and confidence.
• To determine the value of interns as a teaching resource in medical school curricula.

Main Methods:

• Seventy interns participated in a Train the Trainer course focusing on teaching and feedback skills.
• Intern tutors delivered weekly one-hour teaching sessions to small groups of final year medical students.
• Student feedback was collected via questionnaires after each teaching block.

Main Results:

• 81% of students found intern-led tutorials more beneficial than those led by senior doctors.
• Students reported a more comfortable learning environment and felt more able to ask questions.
• Intern-led teaching reduced student anxiety regarding final medical examinations.

Conclusions:

• A structured intern-led teaching program is well-received by medical students.
• Interns represent a valuable and underutilized teaching resource in medical schools.
• Integrating intern-led teaching into medical school curricula is recommended.