We received 32 incomplete responses and 26 complete responses to our survey. The survey instrument has been included (see Additional file 1). The characteristics of the survey respondents are shown in Table 1. Most respondents were current (78.1%) rather than past tutors. Approximately 75% of respondents had less than one year of teaching experience and were post graduate year two or less. With regards to university attendance, 2/3rds of respondents graduated from undergraduate programs, with half of all respondents being graduates of the Joint Medical Program (University of Newcastle/University of New England, Australia). Approximately half of respondents reported engaging with a teaching activity at least once a fortnight. The most common speciality area of involvement in the program was Medicine (81.3%) followed by Surgery (46.9%).
Table 1
Characteristics of survey respondents (n = 32)
Characteristic
|
Mean (SD) or n (%)
|
Age
|
27 (2.6) years
|
Female
|
15 (46.9)
|
Current tutors
|
25 (78.1)
|
Teaching duration
|
|
Less than 1 year
|
24 (75)
|
1–2 years
|
4 (12.5)
|
More than 2 years
|
4 (12.5)
|
PGY level
|
|
PGY1
|
13 (40.6)
|
PGY2
|
11 (34.4)
|
PGY3 or above
|
8 (25)
|
University attendance
|
|
Undergraduate
|
21 (65.6)
|
- Joint Medical Program (University of Newcastle/University of New England)
|
17 (53.1)
|
Postgraduate
|
11 (34.4)
|
Average teaching engagement
|
|
Less than once per month
|
7 (21.8)
|
Once per month
|
7 (21.8)
|
Once per fortnight
|
13 (40.6)
|
Once per week
|
5 (15.6)
|
Specialty areas of involvement*
|
|
Medicine
|
26 (81.3)
|
Surgery
|
15 (46.9)
|
Critical Care (Emergency, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care)
|
13 (40.6)
|
Radiology
|
7 (21.9)
|
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
|
2 (6.3)
|
Paediatrics
|
1 (3.1)
|
Psychiatry
|
1 (3.1)
|
Motivations for involvement*
|
|
Prior enjoyable teaching experience
|
30 (93.8)
|
Giving back to medical community
|
25 (78.1)
|
Adding to CV
|
25 (78.1)
|
Consolidation of own knowledge/skills
|
21 (65.6)
|
Interesting in working in medical education
|
21 (65.6)
|
*Categories are not mutually exclusive |
Table 2 compares teaching experience gained prior to participating in the NPMT program vs experience within the program itself. The overwhelming majority of tutors reported past teaching experience prior to engaging with the NPMT program (94.7%), which is in keeping with prior enjoyable teaching experience being the most common motivation for engagement in the NPMT program. However, none of the participants reported a formal education qualification outside of teaching experience in their medical degree. Experience in bedside teaching was the most common area of involvement in the NPMT program for respondents (75%), followed by tutorials and skills sessions.
Table 2
Prior vs current teaching experience within the NPMT program (n = 32)
|
Prior experience, n (%)
|
NPMT experience, n (%)
|
Nil
|
2 (6.3)
|
-
|
Bedside teaching
|
18 (56.3)
|
24 (75)
|
Tutorials
|
23 (71.9)
|
21 (65.6)
|
Skills sessions
|
15 (46.9)
|
17 (53.1)
|
Resource writing
|
11 (34.4)
|
12 (37.5)
|
Workshop attendance
|
10 (31.3)
|
10 (31.3)
|
Formal/mock examination
|
17 (53.1)
|
14 (43.8)
|
Leadership role
|
13 (40.6)
|
9 (28.1)
|
Figure 1 displays tutor responses that pertain to the feasibility of teaching in context of clinical responsibilities. Respondents indicated that they could only ‘sometimes’ teach without interruptions from work (mean 53.7, 95%CI 45.9–61.5) and teaching times were only ‘sometimes convenient’ (mean 57.5, 95%CI 50.8–64.1, 0 = never, 50 = sometimes, 100 = always). Furthermore, the ability to leave a pager with a colleague while teaching appears limited (mean 30.59, 95%CI 18.9–42.3, 0 = never, 50 = sometimes, 100 = always). These findings likely partially explain why approximately 1/3rd of respondents indicated that they undertook teaching activity solely outside working hours. With regards to stress associated with teaching, respondents indicated that prior teaching before participating in the NPMT program was not significantly stressful (mean 31.9, 95%CI 22–41.8, 0 = minimally stressful, 50 = sometimes stressful, 100 = majorly stressful). Participants expressed that there was some relief of stress associated with teaching through participating in the NPMT program (mean 58.3, 95%CI 49.6–66.9, 0 = no relief, 50 = some relief, 100 = strong relief). A collegiate environment (50%) and the NPMT website (38.4%) were the main factors in relieving stress associated with teaching, with logistical support and teaching workshop attendance being ranked lower. Respondents indicated that they found the NPMT website significantly useful (mean 69.7, 95%CI 60.7–78.5, 0 = not at all useful, 50 = somewhat useful, 100 = strongly useful).
Tutors reported significant enjoyment (mean 82.3, 95%CI 76-86.7, 0 = did not enjoy at all, 100 = strongly enjoyed) and significant overall benefit (mean 77.3, 95%CI 71.4–83.2, 0 = no benefit, 100 = strong benefit) from participation in the program. Figure 2 illustrates perceived improvements in clinical knowledge, skills and professional qualities from engagement in the NPMT program. Respondents indicated the most significant self-perceived improvements in the domains of clinical knowledge (mean 71.7, 95%CI 65.7–77.7), communication (mean 75.5, 95% CI68.9-82.2) and feedback delivery (mean 75.0, 95%CI 68.3–81.8. ) (0 = no improvement, 100 = strong improvement). The least self-perceived improvements were seen in own ability to learn (mean 60.6, 95%CI 51.2, 69.9) and technical skills (mean 56.07, 95%CI 45.58–66.6) (0 = no improvement, 100 = strong improvement).
Figure 3 displays tutors’ responses relating to future teaching aspirations and attitudes towards medical education. Respondents indicated a significant likelihood that they would make teaching a major part of future careers (mean 84, 95%CI 78.6–89.4) and pursue formal teaching opportunities in the future (mean 84.3, 95%CI 77.1–91.5) (0 = not at all, 50 = neutral, 100 = strongly likely). Furthermore, respondents indicated that their experience with the NPMT program has significantly influenced this desire (mean 74.7, 95%CI 65.2–84.2) (0 = not at all, 100 = strongly so).