Teacher perceptions of desired qualities, competencies and strategies for clinical skills teachers

Introduction: Clinical skills centres (or Skillslabs) prepare students for patient-encounters. Evidence on teaching skills in these centres is lacking. What teaching skills do teachers view as effective in supporting the acquisition of physical examination skills in undergraduate medical training? Method: Structured interviews of 10 teachers (1/3 of staff of Maastricht University, Skillslab) were conducted. Selection was based on even representation of age, years teaching experience, gender and previous experience at Maastricht University. A topic grid was used to ensure comparability. Interviews (average 70 min, range 33-95 min) were recorded and transcripts were analyzed independently by two researchers. Results: Teaching skills identified include the ability to adapt content of the training, level of depth and teaching method according to the needs of any particular group. Thorough comprehension of students' context ( level of knowledge, prior experience and insight in the curriculum) is considered helpful. Explicitly inviting students to ask questions and providing relevant literature is seen to stimulate learning. Providing constructive feedback is essential, as is linking physical examination skills training to clinical situations. The ideal attitude includes appropriate dress and behaviour, as well as the use of humour. Affinity for teaching is regarded as the most important reason to work as a teacher. Conclusion: Desired characteristics for undergraduate skills teachers resemble findings in other teaching roles. Affinity for teaching and flexibility in teaching methods are novel findings.