Resident-as-Teacher: Can It Be Done With an E-Learning Module?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Learning
• Professional Development

Background:

• Traditional resident-as-teacher programs are often specialty-specific and in-person, limiting broad dissemination of teaching skills.
• A need exists for scalable and accessible methods to equip all residents with essential teaching competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop, implement, and evaluate an interactive e-learning module focused on growth mindset and coaching for residents.
• To assess the feasibility and acceptance of an online platform for resident teaching skills development.

Main Methods:

• An interactive e-learning module on growth mindset and coaching was designed and deployed to all first-year postgraduate residents (PGY-1).
• Module completion rates, Likert scale ratings for relevance and satisfaction, and open-ended feedback were collected for evaluation.
• Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and ANOVA with Sîdák correction; qualitative content analysis was used for open-ended responses.

Main Results:

• 100% of 277 PGY-1 residents completed the module, with 99.6% completing the evaluation.
• The module was rated highly relevant (mean 4.06/5) and acceptable, though general surgery residents rated it less favorably (3.28/5).
• Residents appreciated the interactive design and practical teaching strategies, suggesting additional content on handling challenging teaching situations.

Conclusions:

• An interactive e-learning module is a viable and acceptable platform for delivering essential teaching skills to residents.
• This digital approach overcomes limitations of traditional in-person, specialty-specific training, enabling wider reach.
• Further development could incorporate resident feedback to enhance content, particularly for challenging scenarios.