Preparing for the Transition to Academic Practice: A Graduate Medical Education Elective

<b>Background</b> Residents and fellows as educators (RFAE) programs typically focus on clinical teaching skills in single departments, which may not be sustainable for those with limited trainees or faculty. <b>Objective</b> To determine the feasibility and value of a 2-week interdepartmental RFAE elective for advanced teaching skill development and transition to practice as clinician educators. <b>Methods</b> Facilitated discussion, simulation, and critiqued peer presentations developed participants' skills in teaching, curriculum design, professional development, and scholarship. Assessments in this prospective intervention included 2 self-reported surveys addressing: (1) teaching process and motivation (Conceptions of Learning and Teaching [COLT]), and (2) skills and attitudes. We administered both surveys at baseline, immediate-post, and 3-month-post elective with data compared across time points using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Program evaluation comprised daily open-ended surveys on engagement and an end-of-course feedback survey. <b>Results</b> There were 79 participants from 2019 to 2023. Survey response rates were 84.8% (67 of 79) at baseline, 58.2% (46 of 79) immediate-post, and 51.9% (41 of 79) 3-month-post. Most participants were residents (89.9%, 71 of 79), female (60.8%, 48 of 79), from pediatrics and/or medicine departments (77.2%, 61 of 79), and in their final year of training (77.2%, 61 of 79). COLT factor orientation to professional practice scores increased in the immediate-post (3.3) compared to baseline (2.5) surveys (<i>P</i>=.008). Teaching skills attitudes scores increased for all questions in 3-month-post compared to baseline surveys. In open-ended questions, participants emphasized the importance of professional development sessions in guiding their careers toward medical education. <b>Conclusions</b> This interdepartmental elective was feasible, favorably received, and sustained over time, with observed changes in participants' teaching skills attitudes.