Curriculum Innovations: A Novel Neurology Clinician-Educator Program

Background and objectives: Neurology residents serve as frontline teachers for junior trainees but often lack formal training in medical education. We developed a novel longitudinal curriculum to enhance the teaching skills and educational leadership of residents interested in pursuing careers as clinician-educators.

Methods and curriculum description: We developed and piloted a Neurology Clinician-Educator Program (NCEP) with the following goals: (1) improve resident satisfaction with opportunities to develop teaching skills, (2) improve resident satisfaction with opportunities to transition into a clinician-educator role after training, and (3) enhance resident teaching skills using evidence-based strategies. The NCEP was implemented on an optional basis for senior neurology residents at a single academic institution and applied through a thematic framework centered around experiential learning theory. The program involved 2 immersive 3-week experiences including both didactic and application formats. These sessions were integrated through the implementation of capstone education projects, facilitating the translation of theoretical knowledge acquired from the NCEP into real-world practice. Satisfaction with opportunities to develop clinician-educator skills was measured through preimplementation and postimplementation surveys distributed to the entire residency cohort while participant progression of educator skills was measured through faculty-guided self-assessment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Clinician Educator Milestones framework.

Results and assessment data: Eight residents completed the 2-year NCEP in its initial iteration. Residents throughout the entire residency program (response rate 24/27 before implementation and 25/27 after implementation) reported significantly higher satisfaction with opportunities to develop teaching skills (64% after implementation vs 33% before implementation, p = 0.032) and with opportunities to transition into a clinician-educator role following training (68% after implementation vs 29% before implementation, p = 0.007) after implementation of the NCEP. Among the 8 residents who completed the NCEP, faculty-guided self-assessment improved significantly (p < 0.05) in 14 of 20 ACGME Clinician Educator Milestone domains.

Discussion and lessons learned: This study demonstrates the successful implementation of a novel curriculum for neurology residents interested in becoming clinician-educators. The NCEP was well received by participants, resulted in improved satisfaction with opportunities to develop clinician-educator skills, increased learning of education concepts and skills, and resulted in behavioral change reflected in various capstone education projects.