A Sustainable Near-Peer Teaching Model for Novice Anaesthetists

Introduction Anaesthetic exams are challenging and require doctors in training (residents) to study alongside performing their clinical duties. Near-peer teaching involves students who are more advanced in a subject teaching other students. This teaching model is based on the Self Determination Theory to encourage trainee self-motivation in anaesthetic training. In this study, we aimed to determine if this could be implemented within a local teaching programme. Methods A cohort of 16 Novice Anaesthetists (NA) participated in a protected fortnightly teaching programme lasting half a day to cover a key theme of the Primary Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA) syllabus. 'Bite-sized' topics were allocated to participants who were given 45 minutes to research their topics before presenting back to their colleagues. A post-Primary FRCA resident facilitated peer-led discussions and ensured that topics were explored appropriately throughout each session. Likert scale and free text questionnaires were used to obtain feedback from those involved and other educational stakeholders and was collated pre- and six months post-implementation of the teaching programme. Results All 16 (100%) residents felt that the small-group teaching was conducive to their learning, increased learner confidence, understanding and ability to talk through difficult topics. Feedback obtained from College Tutors indicates that this teaching model improves teaching delivery without requiring a large faculty. Enabling senior trainees to facilitate while using their Educational Development Time (EDT) ensures sustainability. All residents who partook in the programme were more likely to carry out personal study outside of teaching and would recommend this teaching programme to incoming anaesthetists. Conclusions This study demonstrates a high-impact, sustainable and simple-to-implement teaching model. Its key strength lies in encouraging independent, autonomous learning to take place, with senior guidance.