A Valuable Opportunity to Practice Teaching

Eric L. Tung, MD

Resident in Radiology Diagnostic

Massachusetts General Hospital 

PGY 2

02/27/2021 

Eric L. Tung, MD

As a radiologist-in-training who is passionate about teaching, I was immediately drawn to the Partners GME Centers of Expertise Clinical Teaching Skills course. Throughout medical school and residency, I have experienced a wide variety of educational approaches in both classroom and clinical settings. The process of developing my own teaching style thus far has been largely experiential – emulating techniques from different teachers that I have found effective. I entered the Clinical Teaching skills course excited to undergo my first formal training experience in education.

The course met and exceeded my expectations. My favorite part was the opportunity to practice teaching material relevant to my specialty and receive feedback from peers passionate about education. In radiology, incorporating imaging into lectures through computer-based supplemental materials is necessary for all educators. As an early radiology trainee, I entered the course with little experience in designing presentations that primarily use imaging to teach. The clinical skills course provided me the opportunity to create a presentation that I will use for future medical student teaching and experiment with Powerpoint design to effectively present radiology images. I received valuable personalized feedback from my peers, which allowed me to both improve my presentation and my overall skills as a radiology educator. I left the class feeling more comfortable designing radiology presentations, a confidence I will bring to future teaching opportunities during residency and beyond. I am thankful for the rare opportunity to teach and receive detailed feedback specifically on my skills as an educator.

The Clinical Teaching Skills Course provides the
rare opportunity to design a presentation, teach peers
and receive valuable feedback on your teaching.

I believe that all trainees can benefit from this course, even if they do not anticipate teaching as a major component of their future career. One of the most valuable components of the course was the lecture and readings on evidence-based techniques to improve adult learning. In residency and fellowship, trainees are constantly learning both medical knowledge and procedural skills. Even beyond training, physicians continue to learn throughout their career in the ever-changing field of medicine. Understanding the limitations of adult learners and strategies to overcome these limitations is critical for physicians dedicated to practicing evidence-based medicine based on the latest research and guidelines. I plan to use these techniques in my own learning and design lectures that promote these techniques to improve the retention of my material by my audience.

Participating in the COE Clinical Teaching Skills course allowed me to improve my abilities as an educator and learner through lectures and hands-on teaching activities. I highly recommend this course to all medical trainees.