really good stuff challenges and to develop concrete strategies to address these challenges. Workshop participants who agreed to be part of the study were asked to complete a questionnaire before the workshop, immediately afterwards and 6 months after the workshop. Of the 41 workshop participants, 19 completed all three questionnaires. Participants’ knowledge of mentoring concepts increased markedly as a consequence of the workshop. There was also a significant increase in participants’ self-perceived comfort and effectiveness in their mentoring role immediately following the workshop. Of the 19 study participants, eight initiated new mentoring relationships after attending the workshop. At 6 months after the workshop, 13 of the 19 study participants continued to feel more comfortable and effective in their mentoring role. What lessons were learned? Our results indicate that knowledge and skills related to effective mentoring can be learned. Although there is probably also a need to provide mentors with ongoing support and opportunities to discuss their challenges, workshops on mentoring can enhance an individual’s confidence in his or her mentoring abilities and increase the likelihood that he or she will develop new mentoring relationships, both of which can help to address the problem of insufficient mentorship. REFERENCE 1 Kram KE. Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organizational Life. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman 1985. Correspondence: Michelle Elizov, Centre for Medical Education, McGill University, 1110 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada. Tel: 00 1 514 398 4988; E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1111/medu.12453
Tackling the resident preceptor shortage: a Tanzanian initiative Doreen Mloka & Charles Mkony What problem was addressed? Preceptorship has been used as a successful strategy for facilitating clinical education in undergraduate and residency programmes, mainly when there is a shortage of faculty members, but only a limited number of programmes around the world prepare residents to take up this role. This initiative, developed and
conducted in Tanzania in sub-Saharan Africa, was intended to address this issue because Tanzania also has a severe human resource crisis. The initiative was based on the hypotheses that preparing residents to be effective educators and mentors will improve the quality and quantity of health profession graduates and improve the health care outcomes of patients in the future. What was tried? A mandatory resident training course in teaching and preceptorship skills was implemented and attended by all 154 first-year residents at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS). Half-day workshops on teaching and assessment methods were given to a group of interprofessional residents at MUHAS for 18 consecutive weeks from March to July 2013. The workshops were led by an interprofessional team of faculty members. Teaching and evaluation strategies, including self-administered pre-course surveys on attitudes towards teaching, and pre- and postworkshop knowledge tests were completed. A final written examination included questions that covered data from all 18 workshops. In addition, an end-ofcourse evaluation form was administered. What lessons were learned? Analysis revealed that pre-course knowledge and attitudes towards the teaching role among residents were relatively poor; 18% reported having basic knowledge and 6% reported a positive attitude towards teaching. Mean test scores for all 18 workshops increased from 26% on the pre-tests to 89% on the post-tests (p < 0.001). The mean score on the final examination was 73%. Scores were graded from A (best) to E (worst); 82% of residents scored a grade of B+ or better. The final course evaluation indicated that most of the residents (68%) felt more confident in their ability to teach and expressed an interest in future teaching activities. All residents recommended similar workshops for their colleagues the following year. Many challenges had to be confronted, including resistance from department chairs to requests that residents be released from clinic to attend the course, lack of interest in teaching among residents, and limitations of the number of faculty members able to deliver the course. However, university administration supported the initiative and provided strongly worded communiqu es to course coordinators, deans and department heads on the critical need to ensure the success of this programme given the lack of residents trained to serve as preceptors in clinical settings. This eased resistance against the initiative. Residents are pivotal to many clinical departments in developing and developed countries. It is therefore critical to train residents to become good preceptors in order to
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2014; 48: 522–548
547
really good stuff improve the quality of undergraduate education and to improve health care outcomes. Interprofessional learning is also essential to the effective building of team efforts, the promotion of understanding of each person’s role and to collaborative learning.
548
Correspondence: Doreen Mloka, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. Box 65001, United Nations Road, Dar es Salaam 65001, Tanzania. Tel: 00 255 22 151244; E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1111/medu.12460
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2014; 48: 522–548
Tackling the resident preceptor shortage: a Tanzanian initiative Doreen Mloka & Charles Mkony What problem was addressed? Preceptorship has been used as a successful strategy for facilitating clinical education in undergraduate and residency programmes, mainly when there is a shortage of faculty members, but only a limited number of programmes around the world prepare residents to take up this role. This initiative, developed and
conducted in Tanzania in sub-Saharan Africa, was intended to address this issue because Tanzania also has a severe human resource crisis. The initiative was based on the hypotheses that preparing residents to be effective educators and mentors will improve the quality and quantity of health profession graduates and improve the health care outcomes of patients in the future. What was tried? A mandatory resident training course in teaching and preceptorship skills was implemented and attended by all 154 first-year residents at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS). Half-day workshops on teaching and assessment methods were given to a group of interprofessional residents at MUHAS for 18 consecutive weeks from March to July 2013. The workshops were led by an interprofessional team of faculty members. Teaching and evaluation strategies, including self-administered pre-course surveys on attitudes towards teaching, and pre- and postworkshop knowledge tests were completed. A final written examination included questions that covered data from all 18 workshops. In addition, an end-ofcourse evaluation form was administered. What lessons were learned? Analysis revealed that pre-course knowledge and attitudes towards the teaching role among residents were relatively poor; 18% reported having basic knowledge and 6% reported a positive attitude towards teaching. Mean test scores for all 18 workshops increased from 26% on the pre-tests to 89% on the post-tests (p < 0.001). The mean score on the final examination was 73%. Scores were graded from A (best) to E (worst); 82% of residents scored a grade of B+ or better. The final course evaluation indicated that most of the residents (68%) felt more confident in their ability to teach and expressed an interest in future teaching activities. All residents recommended similar workshops for their colleagues the following year. Many challenges had to be confronted, including resistance from department chairs to requests that residents be released from clinic to attend the course, lack of interest in teaching among residents, and limitations of the number of faculty members able to deliver the course. However, university administration supported the initiative and provided strongly worded communiqu es to course coordinators, deans and department heads on the critical need to ensure the success of this programme given the lack of residents trained to serve as preceptors in clinical settings. This eased resistance against the initiative. Residents are pivotal to many clinical departments in developing and developed countries. It is therefore critical to train residents to become good preceptors in order to
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2014; 48: 522–548
547
really good stuff improve the quality of undergraduate education and to improve health care outcomes. Interprofessional learning is also essential to the effective building of team efforts, the promotion of understanding of each person’s role and to collaborative learning.
548
Correspondence: Doreen Mloka, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. Box 65001, United Nations Road, Dar es Salaam 65001, Tanzania. Tel: 00 255 22 151244; E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1111/medu.12460
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2014; 48: 522–548
