Frameworks to Guide Faculty Development for Health Professions Education: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Health Professions Education
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Faculty development (FD) programs are crucial for enhancing teaching and learning in health professions education.
• The theoretical underpinnings and structural frameworks guiding these programs are not well-understood.
• Exploring existing literature can reveal current practices and identify areas for improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the use of explicit definitions, competency frameworks, and learning theories in health professions education faculty development programs.
• To analyze the thematic focus, scope, and design structure of identified faculty development frameworks.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of health professions education literature published between 2005 and 2020 was conducted.
• Identified frameworks were characterized by their thematic focus, targeted faculty scope, and design structure.
• Framework domains were grouped into topical categories for analysis.

Main Results:

• Only 4.3% of reviewed articles explicitly used learning theory, and 13% included an explicit definition of faculty development.
• A significant portion of frameworks were novel (52.2% based on existing outlines, 43.5% de novo).
• Few programs targeted multiple health professions (21.7%), and only two frameworks included a developmental component.

Conclusions:

• There is limited evidence of explicit definitions, learning theories, or pre-established frameworks guiding faculty development programs.
• The integration of competency-based approaches (e.g., entrustable professional activities) and developmental structures is infrequent.
• Future faculty development programs could benefit from stronger theoretical foundations and structured, progressive designs.