Piloting a Faculty Development Program in a Rural Haitian Teaching Hospital.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Global Health
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Limited evidence exists for faculty development programs for nurse and physician educators, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
• Health professions educators globally often lack formal training in effective teaching methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot and evaluate a faculty development program tailored for nurse and physician educators at a rural teaching hospital in Haiti.
• To assess the program's impact on participant growth, knowledge, and teaching practices.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive program covering 22 health professions education topics was developed.
• Impact was assessed via participant self-assessment, program evaluations, pre/post knowledge testing, and teaching observations.

Main Results:

• Nineteen of 37 participants completed the program, with uniformly positive participant reviews.
• No significant changes were observed in pre/post-test scores on general educational topics.
• Structured observations and feedback on teaching practices were not successfully implemented.

Conclusions:

• The faculty development initiative demonstrated potential benefits but highlighted challenges related to participant time and resource constraints.
• The program's effectiveness may increase as it adapts to the specific needs of the learners and the local context.