Moving Beyond Teaching Skill Curriculum: Development of a Distinction in Medical Education Track

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Graduate Medical Education

Background:

• Postgraduate medical education often prioritizes faculty-led teaching skills over peer-to-peer curriculum development.
• A gap exists in the literature regarding peer-to-peer medical education tracks, particularly within graduate medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the structure and inception of the Distinction in Medical Education (DIME) track.
• To assess the effectiveness of its peer-to-peer instructional model.
• To evaluate the track's success in fostering educational scholarship.

Main Methods:

• A 2-year Distinction in Medical Education (DIME) track was implemented.
• Residents participated in workshops using a flipped classroom model and Kern's Curriculum for foundational learning.
• Second-year residents facilitated workshops, and all participants completed a mentored scholarly project in medical education.

Main Results:

• Five cohorts (n=20) have completed the DIME track since 2020.
• Quantitative analysis revealed 10 resident projects integrated into undergraduate and 7 into graduate medical education curricula.
• Qualitative feedback highlighted the program's core components as highly valuable.

Conclusions:

• The DIME track effectively trains residents in curriculum development principles through peer teaching and scholarly application.
• The program demonstrates measurable success in generating educational scholarship.
• This peer-to-peer model enhances both learning and teaching within medical education.