Back to the bedside: the 8-year evolution of a resident-as-teacher rotation.

BACKGROUND: Teaching our residents to teach is a vital responsibility of Emergency Medicine (EM) residency programs. As emergency department (ED) overcrowding may limit the ability of attending physicians to provide bedside instruction, senior residents are increasingly asked to assume this role for more junior trainees. Unfortunately, a recent survey suggests that only 55% of all residencies provide instruction in effective teaching methods. Without modeling from attending physicians, many residents struggle with this responsibility.

OBJECTIVES: We introduced a "Resident-as-Teacher" curriculum in 2002 as a means to address a decline in bedside instruction and provide our senior residents with a background in effective teaching methods.

DISCUSSION: Here, we describe the evolution of this resident-as-teacher rotation, outline its current structure, cite potential pitfalls and solutions, and discuss the unique addition of a teach-the-teacher curriculum.

CONCLUSION: A resident-as-teacher rotation has evolved into a meaningful addition to our senior residents' training, fostering their growth as educators and addressing our need for bedside instruction.