Twelve tips for designing and implementing an academic coaching program.

Coaching has become increasingly popular as a mechanism to support learning across the health professions education (HPE) continuum. While there is a growing body of literature in this area, there is minimal guidance related to the design and implementation of academic coaching in health professional courses. This paper seeks to contribute to this literature by presenting guidance for academic developers who are considering introducing academic coaching into a health professional course. The 12 tips are based on the authors' collective experiences of designing and implementing academic coaching in university medical courses in Australia and the UK. Although focused on medical education, this paper is intended to have applicability across the health professions, and potentially across university and postgraduate training contexts. Together, the tips offer a strategic and operational framework to guide the design and implementation of academic coaching initiatives in health professions education.

"Pet things" and "penny drops"-Factors influencing clinicians' teaching of pelvic anatomy.

Pelvic anatomy is considered challenging to teach and learn, partly because its complexity can make it difficult to conceptualize. Educational researchers recognize the value of a spiraling curriculum to develop clinically orientated anatomy knowledge for health professionals, but most studies have focused on the preclinical years. It is unclear how the complexities of pelvic anatomy are taught in the clinical setting by clinician educators. Understanding pelvic anatomy teaching from the perspectives of clinician educators is important because of their critical role in supporting medical students to become knowledgeable, safe practitioners. This study sought to examine factors that influence clinician educators' teaching of pelvic anatomy to medical students during clinical placement. Using established qualitative research methods, this exploratory study used semi-structured interviews with 10 participants from obstetrics/gynecology (n = 4) and urology (n = 6) in Australia. Interviews were transcribed, and data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis framework. Two overarching factors were identified as influencing clinician educators' teaching: (1) how they defined the scope of knowledge, and (2) pedagogical understanding. Scope of knowledge was underpinned by patient safety considerations and guided by past experience and student aspirations. Pedagogical understanding also relied on experience and encompassed multiple teaching strategies, including approaches informed by sensitivities surrounding pelvic anatomy. Multiple factors influence how clinician educators define the scope of pelvic anatomy knowledge required of medical students. Clinician educators' awareness of syllabus and teaching approaches can enable them to support students to attain threshold concepts such as three-dimensional spatial relationships and sociocultural sensitivities associated with pelvic anatomy.

Informal faculty development in health professions education: Identifying opportunities in everyday practice.

INTRODUCTION: Faculty development (FD) supports health professions educators to develop knowledge, skills, and expertise. Whilst formal FD is a focus in the health professions education (HPE) literature, little is known about how FD occurs informally. We sought to identify opportunities and constraints for informal FD amongst health professions educators in the academic (university) setting and understand how they engage with these opportunities. METHODS: This exploratory study was conducted in one Australian university. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with undergraduate and postgraduate teachers and assessors (teachers) (n = 10); teaching team and program leaders (mid-level leaders) (n = 8); and senior (university-level) leaders (n = 2). We analysed data thematically and applied situated cognition theory. RESULTS: We identified three everyday educational practices that provide opportunities for informal FD in the academic setting: (1) applying evidence to; (2) evaluating; and (3) sharing, educational practice. Engaging with these opportunities was shaped by individuals' motivation and proactivity to engage in professional learning (effectivities) and organisational culture and structures (constraints). CONCLUSION: Applying evidence to, evaluating, and sharing educational practice provide valuable contexts for ongoing learning in the academic setting. Assisting educators and organisations to recognise and leverage these 'in situ' FD opportunities is vital in fostering a continuous learning culture.

Assessment of clinical reasoning: three evolutions of thought.

Although assessing clinical reasoning is almost universally considered central to medical education it is not a straightforward issue. In the past decades, our insights into clinical reasoning as a phenomenon, and consequently the best ways to assess it, have undergone significant changes. In this article, we describe how the interplay between fundamental research, practical applications, and evaluative research has pushed the evolution of our thinking and our practices in assessing clinical reasoning.

Five Principles for Using Educational Theory: Strategies for Advancing Health Professions Education Research.

Health professions education (HPE) research often involves examining complex phenomena. Theory provides a means for better understanding the mechanics of these phenomena and guiding health professions researchers and educators as they navigate the practical implications for teaching, learning, and research. Engaging with educational theory is, therefore, critical to facilitating this understanding. However, this engagement presents a key challenge for HPE researchers and educators without a background in social science. This article outlines 5 key principles of engaging with theory and offers integration strategies to assist HPE researchers and educators who wish to apply theory to their HPE scholarship and practice. The article concludes with a practical example of how these principles were applied to an HPE research project, demonstrating the value of theory in enhancing research quality. Existing theories can facilitate opportunities for individual researchers to better understand complex phenomena while simultaneously moving forward the field of HPE.