Design, implementation, and evaluation of a multidimensional empowerment program for educational staff on the quality of educational services in medical faculties

The performance of educational departments in medical universities plays a pivotal role in improving educational quality. Despite their central role, educational staff often face neglect in training and empowerment programs. This study aimed to design and validate an empowerment program tailored for educational experts in medical sciences. This research was a multi-phase mixed-methods study including qualitative, model-development, and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, conventional content analysis was done, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 educational staff and educational managers selected via snowball sampling. In the second phase, a developed model was formed based on 345 extracted codes and findings from a review of 45 related articles. In the final phase, the model was implemented and evaluated after two Delphi rounds, ensuring consensus and content validity at 4 faculties of the university. Knowledge level, communication, computer, and English skills, and satisfaction were evaluated before and one month after the intervention. The final developed empowerment model consisted of three main components, organizational structure, organizational belonging, and individual competence, with 11 subcategories. These included supportive systems, succession planning, participatory leadership, informal feedback mechanisms, professional autonomy, psychological empowerment, and career growth opportunities. In the second Delphi round, over 85% of participants confirmed the model’s relevance, clarity, and applicability. Knowledge level, communication, computer, and English language skills regarding communication with international students improved significantly after one month of intervention (p < 0.05). Empowering educational staff through a structured, multidimensional approach can enhance the quality and efficiency of educational services and satisfaction in medical universities. Integrating such a model into institutional policies can address current gaps and help build a more competent, engaged workforce.