A Primer for Developing Chalk Talks.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Chalk talks are a common teaching strategy in medical fields, yet formal training on their delivery is lacking for trainees and early-career faculty.
• The skills developed through chalk talks are transferable to various clinical and educational settings, including bedside teaching and virtual classrooms.
• Chalk talks enhance learning by engaging multiple trainee levels, promoting practical knowledge, self-assessment, differential diagnosis generation, and interactive environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight best practices for effectively using the chalk talk format in medical education.
• To provide a resource for residents, fellows, and early-career attendings on how to design, develop, and deliver chalk talks.
• To address the understudied nature of chalk talks as a ubiquitous teaching strategy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on chalk talks in medical education.
• Development of a primer outlining best practices for chalk talk design, preparation, and delivery.
• Focus on practical application for trainees and faculty in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.

Main Results:

• Chalk talks are versatile, suitable for both formal and informal learning, and can be prepared in advance or delivered spontaneously.
• The format is effective for "teaching the team" during clinical rounds, a common responsibility for trainees.
• Guidance for creating and presenting chalk talks is currently limited in medical education.

Conclusions:

• Effective chalk talk delivery requires specific skills that can be taught and refined.
• This primer serves as a foundational resource for medical educators and trainees to enhance their chalk talk capabilities.
• Standardizing chalk talk instruction can improve its effectiveness as a widespread medical teaching strategy.