title: The desirability of education in didactic skills according to medical interns.
abstract: Since all doctors at some point in their career will be faced with their role as a teacher, it appears desirable that future doctors are educated in didactic skills. At present, however, there are no formal opportunities for developing didactic skills at the majority of Dutch medical faculties. The main question of this study is: How do medical interns perceive the quality and quantity of their education in didactic skills? The Dutch Association for Medical Interns (LOCA) ran a national survey among 1,008 medical interns that measured the interns' self-assessed needs for training in didactic skills during medical school. Almost 80 % of the respondents argue that the mastery of didactic skills composes an essential competency for doctors, with the skill of providing adequate feedback considered to be the most important didactic quality for doctors. Of the respondents, 41 % wish to be educated in didactic skills, both during their medical undergraduate degree and during their subsequent training to become a resident. Teaching while being observed and receiving feedback in this setting is regarded as a particularly valuable didactic method by 74 % of the medical interns. Of the respondents, 82 % would invest time to follow training for the development of didactic skills if it was offered. Medical interns stress the importance of doctors' didactic skills during their clinical internships. Compared with current levels, most interns desire increased attention to the formal development of didactic skills during medical school. Considering the importance of didactic skills and the need for more extensive training, the LOCA advises medical faculties to include more formal didactic training in the medical curriculum.
authors.affiliation: , Willem de Zwijgerstraat 8, 3583 HC, Utrecht, the Netherlands. annekloek@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Anne T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Kloek
authors.affiliation: , Huijbersstraat 187, 6524 PA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joshua R A
authors.initials: JRA
authors.lastname: Verbakel
authors.affiliation: , Rochussenstraat 395D, 3023 DK, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Simone E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.affiliation: , Gansstraat 14a, 3582 EH, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Januska
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Evenboer
authors.affiliation: , Bijleveldsingel 70 K12, 6524 AE, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eef J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.affiliation: , Noordkaapstraat 9, 1013 CE, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hanneke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stam