CEEP Journal - Part 1: Student becomes Teacher. Coming July 1.

One of the major objectives for this CEEP selective is to develop an appreciation for and to gain insights towards medical education. Personally, some of the themes that I wish to explore include curriculum design, effective teaching strategies, the concept of self-directed ‘adult’ learning, and adapting education in the face ever-evolving technology. For me, the subject at hand is an interesting one because as a medical student, I’ve spent the last 4 years being the recipient and now byproduct of just this, “world-recognized” medical education at the University of Toronto - and haven’t really put much thought into the work, design, research, and effort that has afforded me this doctor title.

In a few months, my cohort and I will transition from being medical students to ‘resident physicians’ and will suddenly no longer be the most junior members on a team. Moreover, for the first time, we will have a role to teach, to mentor, and to lead medical students just as the many exemplar residents did before us. And as we progress through our medical careers, the duty and responsibility to pass our knowledge down allows the cycle of medical learning to come full circle - from student to teacher to student again. But how do we do this? What strategies and techniques were effective in my own learning? Which lecturers had the most affinity? Which sessions had lasting impressions or motivated me to study further? And ultimately, which areas of medical education most benefited my performance? How do we quantify this? How will it change with time, and how robust are we to adapt?

These are some of the questions I hope to answer for myself and to apply to my own education and teaching career going forward. Stay tuned! - AC