Structured, longitudinal RaT programs are needed, particularly in under-researched healthcare systems, where unique cultural, institutional, and workforce characteristics call for locally developed approaches.
Abstract
Residents serve as frontline educators in contemporary healthcare systems, yet formal preparation for this role remains uncommon globally. The persistent gap between teaching responsibility and structured institutional support represents a significant concern for educational quality, resident professional development, and patient safety. To synthesize the current evidence on residents’ involvement in teaching, their perceptions of the educator role, factors influencing teaching effectiveness, and the outcomes of formal Residents as Teachers (RaT) programs. A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and ERIC from 2010 to 2025, guided by a PCO (Population, Concept, Outcome) framework. Studies involving medical or surgical residents in postgraduate years 1–6 examining teaching roles, perceptions, or RaT program outcomes were included. Systematic reviews and studies focused on faculty or undergraduate populations were excluded. The screening and reporting process was informed by PRISMA principles; narrative synthesis with thematic organization was applied. Thirty-two studies met inclusion criteria, yielding four interconnected themes: (1) residents universally recognize teaching as central to their professional identity yet carry substantial informal teaching loads without formal preparation; (2) institutional culture, prior experience, and motivational profiles significantly shape teaching effectiveness; (3) residents across specialties and regions consistently request structured training with explicit objectives; and (4) longitudinal, integrated programs produce more durable skill gains than brief stand-alone workshops. Despite substantial informal teaching activity, residents remain underprepared for their educator role. Structured, longitudinal RaT programs are needed, particularly in under-researched healthcare systems, where unique cultural, institutional, and workforce characteristics call for locally developed approaches.
Findings suggest that integrating EBM longitudinally across training, embedding teaching within authentic clinical scenarios, investing in faculty development, and aligning assessments with competency-based frameworks may strengthen skill retention and practice transfer.
S. Quon, Isabel Truong, Leah Moroz et al.· Evidence Based Health Policy...· 0 citations
Background Feedback is a cornerstone of medical education. Although residents are routinely expected to provide feedback to junior learners, this skill is often neglected as a competency in postgraduate medical education programs. To our knowledge, there have been no scoping reviews on how residents are taught or assessed to provide feedback. Methods Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework, we performed a database search (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science) from inception to October 2025. Title-abstract and full-text screening were completed in duplicate, after training on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction included year, country, program, level, and narrative information on the teaching and assessment of resident-provided feedback. Analysis included descriptive statistics and an iterative process of theme development. Results After 2518 duplicates were removed, 8613 studies underwent abstract-title screening, 89 underwent full-text screening, and 68 were included in the review. Of the included studies, nearly half (48.5%) were published after 2019. Perspectives from 24 specialties and 11 countries were highlighted. Senior (second/third year) residents were the most represented group. Although 47 (69.1%) studies referenced teaching modalities, 32 (47.1%) of those were composed of one-off Resident-As-Teacher workshops or self-guided learning, whereas longitudinal curricula were uncommon. 21 (30.9%) studies referenced assessment modalities, although largely informal (25.0%). Three major themes were identified: (1) the introductory nature of feedback education, (2) the effectiveness of comprehensive curricula, and (3) a need for further formal assessment. Conclusions Residents most frequently described experiences with brief workshops and informal assessment by peers and faculty. When dedicated teaching and assessment were incorporated, residents reported increased confidence and demonstrated increased proficiency in delivering feedback. Most importantly, this review has highlighted that programs may benefit from conceptualising feedback as a crucial competency that residents must longitudinally develop during their training.
Hadi Tehfe, Deeksha Kundapur, S. Fu et al.· MedEdPublish· 0 citations
Introduction The Brazilian medical undergraduate curriculum
mandates a compulsory rotation in Primary Health Care (PHC), which
calls for an understanding of the assessment modalities for acquired
clinical competencies. Objectives: The study aims to identify the
currently employed methods for evaluating clinical skills in the PHC
setting, contributing to a comprehensive medical education. Method:
A systematic review was conducted across PubMed, Medline, LILACS,
SciELO, and Portal Capes databases, encompassing articles written in
English, Portuguese, and Spanish, utilizing the following descriptors:
“Clinical Competence”, “Medical Student”, and “Primary Health Care”.
743 quantitative and qualitative studies were identified, 40 selected for
full-text reading and 24 ultimately for analysis. Results: Among 24
analyzed studies, 12 evaluated methodologies employing real patients,
and 12 others discussed evaluations involving simulated patients. OSCE
was the most employed in simulated patient scenarios, while in real
patient scenarios, the checklist, teacher feedback, and direct observation
were noteworthy. OSCE allows standardized evaluation, but its
implementation proves resource-intensive. Assessment involving actual
patients cannot be fully replicated, and checklists and direct observation
to mensurate the acquired skills. Final considerations: The evaluation
methods were diverse, however, Feedback stands out as a guiding and
qualifying tool for learning and reflective practice, and the refinement
of implemented activities.
Victor dos Reis Cunha, Luiz Henrique de Oliveira Bernardino, Letícia de Castro Martins Ferreira et al.· Revista Médica de Minas Gera...· 0 citations
Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and intraprofessional collaboration (IntraPC) are core competencies in interprofessional education (IPE), but resident physicians often encounter difficulties in practice. Understanding residents’ perceptions of IPE is essential for developing effective education. This scoping review aims to map and synthesize existing literature on residents’ perceptions of IPE. A systematic search was conducted on the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. The selection process followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) framework. Data from eligible studies were extracted and analyzed thematically. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria from 337 identified articles. Thematic analysis revealed four interrelated main themes regarding residents' perceptions of IPE. These themes included “knowledge, skills, and attitudes,” as well as implications for medical education that highlight the urgent need for a formal, structured, and longitudinal IPE curriculum, utilizing methods such as simulation and discussion-based learning. Residents' perceptions of IPE are characterized by tension between cultural barriers and systematic drivers of collaboration. The gap between these barriers and drivers of collaboration underscores the need for residency programs to proactively integrate ongoing IPE training to prepare residents for collaborative challenges in clinical practice.
D. Wardhana, I. Yusuf, S. As'ad et al.· Korean Journal of Medical Ed...· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) define essential professional tasks and responsibilities that can inform curriculum, teaching, supervision, developmental progression and assessment. Despite widespread implementation in postgraduate medical education, experiences and perceptions of EPAs remain fragmented, raising questions about how they are translated into practice.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis of studies exploring participant experiences and perceptions of EPA implementation in postgraduate medical education. Six databases were searched from inception to August 2024 and updated in April 2025. Eligible studies included qualitative and mixed-methods designs that examined learners, faculty, administrators or other groups involved in EPA use. Data were extracted in duplicate and analysed using Thomas and Harden's thematic synthesis approach. Methodological quality was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, and confidence in findings was appraised with the GRADE-CERQual framework.
RESULTS
From 7027 records, 23 studies involving 443 participants were included. Studies spanned Canada, the United States, Europe, and New Zealand across diverse specialties. Thematic synthesis yielded five interrelated themes: design tensions; growth and performance; faculty preparedness, engagement and consistency; psychological climate; and anchoring in institutional scaffolds. Participants valued EPAs for clarifying expectations, structuring feedback and supporting developmental progression. However, many experiences were shaped by assessment-dominant implementation, in which EPAs were encountered primarily through forms, entrustment ratings, completion requirements and progression decisions. Administrative burden, faculty uncertainty, learner anxiety and strategic completion contributed to this narrowed enactment.
CONCLUSIONS
EPAs were often experienced less as broad frameworks for organising professional development and more as assessment infrastructure. Future implementation should focus on translating EPAs as intended: essential professional activities that guide curriculum, supervision, feedback and assessment within supportive educational systems.
J. Phung, L. Cowley, Lindsey Sikora et al.· Medical Education· 0 citations
Standardized patients (SPs) are a core modality in undergraduate medical education for teaching and assessing communication, history-taking, and clinical reasoning through simulated encounters and objective structured clinical examinations. Yet, scaling SP provision can be limited by financial cost, the availability of trained actors, and the faculty workload required for recruitment, training, and quality assurance (QA). A peer simulated patient (PSP) model, also described as "students as patients" or student standardized-patients model, trains senior medical students to portray SPs roles for junior learners and, in many designs, to provide structured feedback. This manuscript synthesizes evidence from systematic reviews and comparative studies of peer role-play, student SP, and occupational SP models and integrates peer-assisted learning theory, deliberate practice, and SP standards of best practice to propose an implementation framework suitable for medical schools. Available evidence suggests that peer simulation can be acceptable and sufficiently realistic for many educational goals, can yield learner outcomes comparable to occupational SPs in selected settings, may offer benefits for the senior students and may offer favorable cost profiles when programs are scaled. However, PSP programs may introduce risks, including variability in standardization, role confusion, confidentiality breaches, and psychological safety concerns for both junior learners and student-actors. We provide a stepwise framework covering recruitment, training (portrayal and feedback), QA, safeguarding psychological safety, and evaluation of outcomes for both learner and PSP cohorts. When carefully designed and governed, PSP programs can expand access to repeated, deliberate practice with feedback, strengthen senior students' teaching and professional identity formation, and reduce resource barriers to high-frequency simulation.
U. Pollak, Yael Feinstein· Postgraduate medical journal· 0 citations
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