Learning to Teach

Sara Cromer, MD

Fellow in Endocrinology 

Massachusetts General Hospital 

PGY 6

02/22/2021

Sara Cromer, MD

Everyone in medicine is a teacher, at least for a time. Interns teach medical students, residents teach interns, fellows teach residents, and attendings teach everyone. Despite this, most training on how to teach is informal, even unspoken, based on observing others and practicing skills on your own. Not so the COE Clinical Training Skills (CTS) course!

Although I have sought teaching roles for years, this course was the first to provide formal and focused instruction on adult learning theory and concrete methods of feedback. These lectures affirmed my own experience, defending teaching methods from which I’ve benefitted in the past, while also challenging some of my assumptions. These lectures suggested many ways to improve both the experience of learners and their likelihood of retaining key lessons which I plan to implement immediately.

Additionally, this class provided dedicated and focused time to practice both small-group teaching and providing constructive feedback alongside other learners who are motivated to learn and help others learn these skills. This very practical application and feedback has already influenced the way I stage and conduct brief teaching sessions and my ability to provide timely, actionable, and specific feedback. Thanks for a helpful course, COE!