Faculty Development for the Twenty-First Century: Teaching the Teachers

Faculty development is a poorly understood and incompletely executed initiative in undergraduate and graduate medical and dental education programs. Despite significant change in the delivery of health care over the past several decades, the education of students and residents has followed a legacy path of business as usual. Some faculty have incorrectly assumed that content expertise transfers to teaching expertise. The insistence for robust faculty development programs on the part of accrediting and other professional organizations has created a call to action, but much work has yet to be done. It is therefore essential that leaders in these programs develop a sense of urgency to teach the teachers lest our students and residents will replicate outdated methods, unsystematically teach themselves, and fall victim to an educational system that is grossly inadequate. It is the purpose of this article to enhance undergraduate and graduate medical and dental education by offering viable change options, specifically targeted to improving historical trends by emphasizing the importance of growth mindsets, emotional intelligence, the creation of holding environments, and stimulating enthusiasm for lifelong learning as part of twenty-first century strategies for faculty development.