An exploratory study on the preference of the type of teacher for Master trainees in anaesthesiology at different training levels / Tan Wei Kai

• Main Author: Tan , Wei Kai
• Format: Thesis
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: L Education (General); RA1001 Forensic Medicine. Medical jurisprudence. Legal medicine

Objective Postgraduate trainees in anaesthesiology require good clinical teachers to guide them on their path to become a safe anaesthetist. The purpose of this study is to have a comprehensive look at what constitutes a good clinical teacher in Anaesthesiology from the eyes of the trainees. We hypothesise that trainees from various training years may expect different characteristics from a clinical teacher to meet their learning needs. Methodology This study is carried out in two phases. In phase one, surveys in the form of questionnaires were conducted with all 158 registered students for Master of Anaesthesiology (Universiti Malaya), across different training years. The Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire (MCTQ) with its seven domains capturing various aspects of cognitive apprenticeship, is used as a template for the survey. Digital informed consent and participant data collection were performed via Google software. Respondents score each item on the questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale. In phase two, focus group discussions were conducted with four groups of five to eight students. The four groups are comprised of trainees from year one to year four respectively. Selection of participants is via convenience sampling and participation is voluntary. Interviews of the focus groups were recorded and transcribed and thematic analysis performed. Result A total of 158 invites were sent to all University Malaya master trainees in Anaesthesiology. One hundred and one respondents participated in the questionnaire survey, yielding a response rate of 63.92%. Items “Created a safe learning environment”, “Helped student understand which aspects he needed to improve” and “Showed student respect” receive high score of >4.5 from respondents. “General Learning Climate” and “Scaffolding” domains were highly rated by trainees across all four training years. The domain “exploration” was considered less important for exam-year trainees. In the focus group discussion, we found that “modelling”, “coaching” and “scaffolding”, and “articulation” are useful methods in anaesthesiology education, but senior trainees prefer teaching that is more clinical focused. Themes regarding the need of a positive learning environment appear multiple times during the focus group discussion, cementing its importance from the viewpoint of the trainees. Conclusion Creating a safe, non-toxic, learning environment for trainees to become gradually proficient in anaesthesiology is crucial from the master trainees’ perspective.