title: Introducing a curricular program culminating in a certificate for training peer tutors in medical education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Student tutorials are now firmly anchored in medical education. However, to date there have only been isolated efforts to establish structured teacher training for peer tutors in medicine. To close this gap, a centralized tutor training program for students, culminating in an academic certificate, was implemented at Heidelberg University Medical School. The program also counts within the scope of the post-graduate Baden-Württemberg Certificate in Academic Teaching (Baden-Württemberg Zertifikat für Hochschuldidaktik).
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on a needs assessment, a modular program comprised of four modules and a total of 200 curricular units was developed in cooperation with the Department for Key Competencies and Higher Education at Heidelberg University and implemented during the 2010 summer semester. This program covers not only topic-specific training sessions, but also independent teaching and an integrated evaluation of the learning process that is communicated to the graduates in the form of structured feedback. In addition, to evaluate the overall concept, semi-structured interviews (N=18) were conducted with the program graduates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To date, 495 tutors have been trained in the basic module on teaching medicine, which is rated with a mean overall grade of 1.7 (SW: 0.6) and has served as Module I of the program since 2010. A total of 17% (N=83) of these tutors have gone on to enroll in the subsequent training modules of the program; 27 of them (m=12, f=15) have already successfully completed them. Based on qualitative analyses, it is evident that the training program certificate and its applicability toward the advanced teacher training for university instructors pose a major incentive for the graduates. For successful program realization, central coordination, extensive coordination within the medical school, and the evaluation of the attained skills have proven to be of particular importance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The training program contributes sustainably to both quality assurance and professionalism, as well as to solving the issue of resources in medical education. The introduction and continued development of similar programs is desirable.
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, AG Kommunikation, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fellmer-Drüg
authors.affiliation: Staatliches Schulamt Mannheim, Schulpsychologische Beratungsstelle Mosbach, Mannheim, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drude
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sator
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Jobst-Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, Dozentin, Heidelberg, Deutschland ; Supervisorin und Organisationsberaterin, Bern, Schweiz.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Irniger
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Abteilung Schlüsselkompetenzen und Hochschuldidkatik, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chur
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Abteilung Schlüsselkompetenzen und Hochschuldidkatik, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Resch
authors.affiliation: Universität Heidelberg, Medizinische Fakultät, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jünger
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D010379:Peer Group; D012073:Remedial Teaching / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Medical education; curriculum; graduation certificate; peer teaching; tutor training