UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF CERTIFICATION IN MEDICAL EDUCATION: PERSPECTIVES OF EDUCATORS

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the perception of the medical faculty attending Certifi cate course in Health professional education (CHPE); to identify its benefi cial factors & those domains which need further improvement. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was done including participants of three CHPE courses organized by Khyber medical University. This study was conducted at the Institute of Health Professions Education and Research (IHPER), Khyber Medical University Peshawar. A pre-validated questionnaire was fi lled by the participants. Duration of study was three weeks. The first of the questionnaire was regarding age, gender, teaching experience & teaching disciplines of participants. Second portion comprised of perceptions regarding teaching needs, methodology, assessment, communication skills & diff erent aspects of course content. Results: Amongst the participants there were 36 males (61%) & 23 females (39%). The age of the participants ranged from 25 – 55 years with a mean of 43 years. Amongst teaching disciplines 40 (67.8%) participants were from diff erent clinical disciplines & 19 (32.2%) were from basic sciences. The motivation factor for attending CHPE was personal interest in professional growth (55.90%). Majority of the participants reported the course relevant to their needs and helpful in improving their capabilities as a teacher. Conclusion: The study showed the importance of CHPE for faculty development for clinical & basic science health professionals. The strategies used for instructions during the course were valued by the respondents. Participants reported a positive change in their knowledge of teaching methods & improvement in communication skill.