How do social networks and faculty development courses affect clinical supervisors' adoption of a medical education innovation? An exploratory study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact of social networks and a two-day faculty development course on clinical supervisors' adoption of an educational innovation.


METHODS
During 2007-2010, 571 residents and 613 clinical supervisors in four specialties in the Netherlands were invited to complete a Web-based questionnaire. Residents rated their clinical supervisors' adoption of an educational innovation, the use of structured and constructive (S&C) feedback. Clinical supervisors self-assessed their adoption of this innovation and rated their communication intensity with other clinical supervisors in their department. For each supervisor, a centrality score was calculated, representing the extent to which the supervisor was connected to departmental colleagues. The authors analyzed the effects of supervisor centrality and participation in a two-day Teach-the-Teacher course on the degree of innovation adoption using hierarchical linear modeling, adjusting for age, gender, and attitude toward the S&C feedback innovation.


RESULTS
Respondents included 370 (60%) supervisors and 357 (63%) residents. Although Teach-the-Teacher course participation (n=172; 46.5%) was significantly related to supervisors' self-assessments of adoption (P=.001), it had no effect on residents' assessments of supervisors' adoption (P=.371). Supervisor centrality was significantly related to innovation adoption in both residents' assessments (P=.023) and supervisors' self-assessments (P=.024).


CONCLUSIONS
A clinical supervisor's social network may be as important as faculty development course participation in determining whether the supervisor adopts an educational innovation. Faculty development initiatives should use faculty members' social networks to improve the adoption of educational innovations and help build and maintain communities of practice.
Center for Medical Imaging-North East Netherlands, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. e.jippes@umcg.nl
Erik
E
Jippes
Yvonne
Y
Steinert
Jan
J
Pols
Marjolein C
MC
Achterkamp
Jo M L
JM
van Engelen
Paul L P
PL
Brand
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012647:Self-Assessment; D060756:Social Networking; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*