A structured professional development curriculum for postdoctoral fellows leads to recognized knowledge growth
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Steen K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8608334 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BACKGROUND:A growing number of postdoctoral scholars are following diverse career paths that require broad skill sets to ensure success. Yet, most postdoctoral professional learning and development initiatives are intended for academic careers and seldom include professional skills needed to succeed in non-academic settings. Given that fewer than 20% of postdoctoral scholars will obtain tenure-track academic positions, there is a great need for postdoctoral scholars to prepare for a range of future careers. Creating professional learning and development strategies to address these concerns requires an understanding of current approaches, yet there is a distinct lack of literature exploring and synthesizing sources of evidence on the professional learning and development of postdoctoral scholars. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine, synthesize, and map the sources of evidence on professional learning and development pertaining to postdoctoral scholars. METHODS:We will perform a scoping review to identify sources of evidence around professional learning and development of postdoctoral scholars. Our search strategy, limited to English language, will include searching relevant disciplinary and interdisciplinary databases with no limitation on date of publication. We will conduct forward and backward citation chasing of included articles. Gray literature will be searched in electronic databases and websites of national postdoctoral associations. Search strategies will be developed using controlled vocabulary and keyword terms related to postdoctoral scholars and professional development. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts for inclusion, and two reviewers will independently screen full text to determine final inclusion. These data will be summarized quantitatively (using a simple numerical count) and qualitatively using thematic analysis methods. Through this process, we will summarize the current state of evidence around professional development and learning of postdoctoral scholars and identify current gaps in the literature, as well as the research areas requiring systematic reviews and/or primary research. DISCUSSION:Despite the growing numbers of postdoctoral scholars, there has been no synthesis of the sources of evidence of postdoctoral scholars' professional learning and development. In reviewing a wide range of evidence and integrating it into a manageable and meaningful whole, this scoping review will be a critical first step in understanding the professional learning and development of postdoctoral scholars. Our results will help inform future research and the development of a framework for postdoctoral scholar's professional learning and development.
| S-EPMC6280376 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and needsMedical educators with simulation fellowship training have a unique skill set. Simulation fellowship graduates have the ability to handle basic and common troubleshooting issues with simulation software, hardware, and equipment setup. Outside of formal training programs such as this, simulation skills are inconsistently taught and organically learned. This is important to address because there are high expectations of medical educators who complete simulation fellowships. To fill the gap, we offer one way of teaching and assessing simulation technical skills within a fellowship curriculum and reflect on lessons learned throughout the process. This report describes the instructional designs, implementation, and program evaluation of an educational intervention: a simulation technology curriculum for simulation fellows.Curriculum designThe current iteration of the simulation technical skill curriculum was introduced in 2018 and took approximately 8 months to develop under the guidance of expert simulation technology specialists, simulation fellowship-trained faculty, and simulation center administrators. Kern's six steps to curriculum development was used as the guiding conceptual framework. The curriculum was categorized into four domains, which emerged from the outcome of a qualitative needs assessment. Instructional sessions occurred on 5 days spanning a 2-week block. The final session concluded with summative testing.Program evaluationFellows were administered summative objective structured exams at three stations. The performance was rated by instructors using station-specific checklists. Scores approached 100% accuracy/completion for all stations.ConclusionsThe development of an evidence-based educational intervention, a simulation technical skill curriculum, was highly regarded by participants and demonstrated effective training of the simulation fellows. This curriculum serves as a template for other simulationists to implement formal training in simulation technical skills.
| S-EPMC9361680 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The goal of STEM professional development for teaching is that participants continue to practice what they learn in the long term. However, we do not know if the outcomes are achieved and ultimately persist. We tracked postdoctoral participants from the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST) IV program into their current positions as early-career biology faculty. We assessed their teaching approaches, practices, and student perceptions of the learning environment over 6 to 9 years after finishing the program. Simultaneously, we evaluated paired faculty in the same departments. We found that professional development outcomes persisted over time and across a career transition. FIRST IV faculty maintained their learner-centered practices and were more learner-centered than their peers. Last, we found that teaching approaches were correlated with teaching practices in all faculty participants. These results provide evidence for the success of the FIRST IV program and the long-term persistence of professional development outcomes.
| S-EPMC7304974 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Conservative care, a comprehensive treatment path for advanced kidney disease most suitable for individuals unlikely to benefit from dialysis, is underutilized in the United States. One reason is an absence of robust education about this approach and how to discuss it with potential candidates. To address this need, we developed a multimodal conservative care curriculum for nephrology fellows. This curriculum consists of four online modules that address essential concepts and communication skills related to conservative care. It is followed by an in-person, interactive, "flipped classroom" session facilitated by designated nephrology educators at participating Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education nephrology training programs. Curriculum effect was assessed using surveys completed by participating fellows immediately before and following the curriculum and for participating nephrology educators following flipped classroom teaching; 148 nephrology trainees from 19 programs participated, with 108 completing both pre- and postcurriculum surveys. Mean self-reported preparedness (measured on a five-point Likert scale) increased significantly for all ten concepts taught in the curriculum. The mean correct score on eight knowledge questions increased from 69% to 82% following the curriculum (P<0.001). Fellows rated the curriculum highly and reported that they plan to practice skills learned. For the 19 nephrology program educators, the mean perceived preparedness to teach all curriculum domains increased after, compared with before, facilitating the flipped classroom, reaching significance for seven of the ten concepts measured. Data suggest that fellows' participation in a multimodal curriculum increased knowledge and preparation for fundamental conservative care concepts and communication skills. Fellows rated the curriculum highly. Educator participation appears to have increased preparedness for teaching the curriculum concepts, making it likely that future education in conservative care will become more widespread. Herein, we describe the curriculum content, which we have made publicly available in order to encourage broader implementation, and its effect on participating fellows and the nephrology educators who facilitated it.
| S-EPMC8216616 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Effective science teaching critically requires content focused professional development (PD), particularly in life sciences where content evolves rapidly. How subject matter knowledge related to teaching (SCK) is most effectively incorporated into PD has not been investigated. We studied how a professional learning community of high school teachers and scientists co-designing a bioscience curriculum produced the accompanying SCK-focused PD. SCK was level-specific but teachers could not generate it alone. Co-designing SCK with scientists was valuable to teachers, as evidenced by significant increases in their cognitive and attitudinal attributes toward the PD, in turn promoting change in practice and student learning gains, both within and outside the initial partnership. Surprisingly, social network analysis of how the collaborators interacted revealed that though the network was cognitively and effectively robust, it was behaviorally much sparser than anticipated for such a high functioning partnership, counter to commonly accepted PD best practices. We suggest that the scientist/educator facilitators who intentionally promoted collaboration in the context of distributed leadership were able to eliminate extraneous interactions, optimizing the process. The results are further evidence that developing content-focused PD relevant to 21st century life sciences requires dismantling the institutionalized segregation between practitioners of science and teaching.
| S-EPMC6364852 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionIn clinical practice, ethical dilemmas are frequently faced by pediatric endocrinologists. This initiative's objectives were to (a) determine if endocrine fellows and faculty perceived that an effective ethics curriculum existed and (b) evaluate whether case-based modules would be an effective tool for ethics education.MethodsParticipation was sought from eight large pediatric endocrine programs (home programs and affiliates of the Pediatric Endocrine Society's Ethics Committee members) after the distribution of eight case-based modules (geared mainly to fellows) and pre- and postsurveys. Questions examining self-reported knowledge (K) of the ethical pillars (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice), attitudes (A) towards these, and the individual's likelihood of utilizing them in clinical practice (P), in addition to the need for/benefit of this curriculum, were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale.ResultsSix out of eight programs participated, with surveys completed by fellows (n = 29), faculty (n = 7), and advanced practitioners (n = 3). Of the respondents, only 20.3% believed an effective ethics curriculum was already in place. After module completion, KAP scores improved, with the greatest improvement seen in knowledge scores. Additionally, 94.9% of respondents strongly agreed (n = 26) or agreed (n = 11) that the curriculum would be a valuable addition to fellowship training. All faculty believed that the curriculum was helpful in imparting ethical principles of clinical practice.DiscussionThe findings suggest that this curriculum would be useful in knowledge advancement of ethical principles and could fulfill a long-standing need to provide clinical ethics education for faculty and fellows.
| S-EPMC6342438 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Entrustable professional activities (EPAs), as a focus of learner assessment, are supported by validity evidence. An EPA is a unit of professional practice requiring proficiency in multiple competencies simultaneously, that can be entrusted to a sufficiently competent learner. Taken collectively, a set of EPAs define and inform the curriculum of a specialty training. The goal of this study was to develop a set of EPAs for Dutch PICU fellows. A multistage methodology was employed incorporating sequential input from task force members, a medical education expert, PICU fellowship program directors, and PICU physicians and fellows via a modified three-round Delphi study. In the first modified Delphi round, experts rated indispensability and clarity of preliminary EPAs. In the subsequent rounds, aggregated scores for each EPA and group comments were provided. In round two, respondents rated indispensability and clarity of revised EPAs. Round three was used to gain explicit confirmation of suitability to implement these EPAs. Based on median ratings and content validity index (CVI) analysis for indispensability in the first two rounds, all nine preliminary EPAs covered activities that were deemed essential to the clinical practice of PICU physicians. Based on median ratings and CVI analysis for clarity however, four EPAs needed revision. With an agreement percentage of 93-100% for all individual EPAs as well as the set as a whole, a high degree of consensus among experts was reached in the third round. The resulting nine PICU EPAs provide a succinct overview of the core tasks of Dutch PICU physicians. These EPAs were created as an essential first step towards developing an assessment system for PICU fellows, grounded in core professional activities. The robust methodology used, may have broad applicability for other (sub)specialty training programs aiming to develop specialty specific EPAs.
| S-EPMC7971696 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate an academic career development curriculum, 25 fellows and advanced trainees in nine Obstetrics and Gynecology sub-specialty fellowships were surveyed anonymously prior to the start of an academic career development common curriculum in 2007. Results were compared to responses from the same survey given at the completion of the two-year program in order to guide and improve the curriculum. Fourteen surveys were completed for both administrations. RESULTS: At each survey time, most fellows expressed the desire to pursue academic careers and planned to present and publish research from their fellowship. After the curriculum, there was overall improvement in self-appraised confidence for speaking at national meetings and preparing submission of a research grant. The most substantial change in self assessment was increased awareness and utilization of departmental research support personnel. Areas of training that were not the main topic of core sessions, but showed improvement were frequency of constructive feedback from mentors and peers, and frequency of discussion of research ethics. CONCLUSION: Institution of an academic career development curriculum for Obstetrics and Gynecology fellows was associated with increased self-appraised confidence in specific academic skills as assessed by anonymous survey.
| S-EPMC2860319 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundContinuing professional development (CPD) activities delivered by simulation to independently practicing physicians are becoming increasingly popular. At present, the educational potential of such simulations is limited by the inability to create effective curricula for the CPD audience. In contrast to medical trainees, CPD activities lack pre-defined learning expectations and, instead, emphasize self-directed learning, which may not encompass true learning needs. We hypothesize that we could generate an interprofessional CPD simulation curriculum for practicing pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians in a single-center tertiary care hospital using a deliberative approach combined with Kern's six-step method of curriculum development.MethodsFrom a comprehensive core list of 94 possible PEM clinical presentations and procedures, we generated an 18-scenario CPD simulation curriculum. We conducted a comprehensive perceived and unperceived needs assessment on topics to include, incorporating opinions of faculty PEM physicians, hospital leadership, interprofessional colleagues, and expert opinion on patient benefit, simulation feasibility, and value of simulating the case for learning. To systematically rank items while balancing the needs of all stakeholders, we used a prioritization matrix to generate objective "priority scores." These scores were used by CPD planners to deliberately determine the simulation curriculum contents.ResultsWe describe a novel three-step CPD simulation curriculum design method involving (1) systematic and deliberate needs assessment, (2) systematic prioritization, and (3) curriculum synthesis. Of practicing PEM physicians, 17/20 responded to the perceived learning needs survey, while 6/6 leaders responded to the unperceived needs assessment. These ranked data were input to a five-variable prioritization matrix generating priority scores. Based on local needs, the highest 18 scoring clinical presentations and procedures were selected for final inclusion in a PEM CPD simulation curriculum. An interim survey of PEM physician (21/24 respondents) opinions was collected, with 90% finding educational value with the curriculum. The curriculum includes items not identified by self-directed learning that PEM physicians thought should be included.ConclusionsWe highlight a novel methodology for PEM physicians that can be adapted by other specialities when designing their own CPD simulation curriculum. This methodology objectively considers and prioritizes the needs of practicing physicians and stakeholders involved in CPD.
| S-EPMC7326623 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe management of neurologic emergencies is an important component of critical care fellowship training. Additional training in neurocritical care has been demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes, though exposure to these emergencies during training can be limited.MethodsThree simulation cases are presented as part of a comprehensive neurologic emergencies curriculum for critical care trainees. The cases represent neurologic catastrophes encountered in the intensive care unit consisting of symptomatic hyponatremia, severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and brain herniation syndrome. The case descriptions are complete with learning objectives, critical actions checklists, and debriefing material for facilitators, as well as all necessary personnel briefs and required equipment.ResultsThe scenarios were completed over the course of the 2016-2017 academic year by first-year critical care fellows. Following curriculum implementation, there was an improvement in self-perceived confidence of fellows in neurologic emergency management skills.DiscussionThe cases were felt to be realistic and beneficial and led to perceived improvement in management of neurologic emergencies and leadership during clinical crises.
| S-EPMC6489375 | biostudies-literature