What does it mean to be a good teacher and clinical supervisor in medical education

TLDR: It is implied that teachers appear to compartmentalise their roles as teachers and clinical supervisors respectively.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the different ways medical teachers understand what constitutes a good teacher and a good clinical supervisor and what similarities and differences they report between them Data was gathered through interviews with 39 undergraduate teachers at a medical university The transcripts were analysed using a phenomenographic approach Three categories regarding what it means to be a good teacher and clinical supervisor respectively were identified Similarities between the two hierarchies were seen with the most inclusive categories of understanding what it means to be a good teacher or supervisor focuses on students’ learning or growth In the third category a good teacher and supervisor is seen as someone who conveys knowledge or shows how things are done However, the role of being a clinical supervisor was perceived as containing a clearer focus on professional development and role modelling than the teacher role did This is shown in the middle category where a good clinical supervisor is understood as a role model and someone who shares what it is like to be a doctor The middle category of understanding what it means to be a good teacher instead focussing on the teacher as someone who responds to students’ content requests in a partially student-centred perspective In comparing the ways individual respondents understood the two roles, this study also implies that teachers appear to compartmentalise their roles as teachers and clinical supervisors respectively