Are Family Medicine Residency Programs Ready to Teach and Assess Learners' Self-Directed Learning Skills?

The rapid expansion of medical information highlights the importance of physicians being trained in self-directed learning (SDL) so that they can adapt their practice to incorporate current evidence. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education highlight SDL as a key training outcome, but residency program integration of this training is not clear. We explored perceptions of directors of family medicine residency programs about their programs' readiness to teach and assess SDL skills.

In 2024, we surveyed all US family medicine program directors via e-mail. The survey explored aspects of programs' readiness for SDL instruction and the priority it placed on SDL, as well as the program directors' perception of recent graduates' SDL skills. Data analysis used descriptive and inferential techniques.

We received responses from 314 of 705 program directors (44.5% response rate). Of the responding program directors, 294 (93.6%) agreed or strongly agreed that their recent graduates modeled lifelong learning necessary for the practice of medicine. Only 177 (56.3%) agreed or strongly agreed that they collected evidence of engagement in SDL, however. Additionally, 139 (44.2%) agreed or strongly agreed that they had written expectations regarding SDL, 167 (53.2%) reported having a programwide common understanding of SDL, and 181 (57.6%) indicated SDL was a high curricular priority.

Although program directors overwhelmingly report that their graduating residents model lifelong learning skills, many also report that they are not investing in SDL curricula, nor are they collecting evidence to demonstrate SDL skills. These gaps may be addressed by creating a standardized curriculum for residency programs and by recommending tools for assessment to enhance program readiness for SDL training.Abstracts also available in: عربي (Arabic); Deutsch (German); Español (Spanish); Francais (French); हिन्दी (Hindi); Indonesia (Indonesian); (Chinese); (Japanese); Portugues (Portuguese).