The Development and Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Faculty Development Orientation for Teachers at A New Academic Site
Author(s): Priya Sood, Gurpreet Mand, Allyson Merbaum, Neal Belluzzo, Navsheer Gill
Description:
The University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine added a new teaching site at Humber River Hospital, an urban community-affiliated hospital in a high-needs area of Northwest Toronto. An intensive interdisciplinary FD orientation was developed and delivered in Spring 2023, with the goal of preparing family physicians and those from other disciplines to train FM learners.
A literature review on new faculty orientation was undertaken. A needs assessment was conducted to tailor the sessions to the audience’s learning goals. Two in-person sessions of 2-2.5 hours each were designed and led by the new site education leads, and included opportunity for small group work, discussion, and networking. Program evaluation aimed to understand the most helpful elements and relevant take-home points, as well as areas for improvement. Forty-three attendees participated in the sessions, including 16 community family physicians and 26 hospital-based focused practice family physicians and specialists in other disciplines. A unique aspect of this FD program was integrating FM teachers with those who will teach FM learners in other disciplines, with the specific goal of ensuring the learning environment is FM learner centered.
After attending the FD session, participants had an increased awareness of basic topics such as Professionalism, Giving Feedback, and Assessment and Evaluation. Evaluations also demonstrated an increased knowledge of the FM residency program in general. Participants provided feedback that the sessions were helpful, and they would attend future sessions. Participants and presenters also provided feedback that the format increased networking opportunities with faculty from other specialties.