title: Medical education and informal teaching by nurses and midwives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of nurses and midwives to the education of medical colleagues in the clinical context.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research design was a cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire. A subsample of 2906 respondents, from a total of 4763 nurses and midwives participating in a web-based study, had taught doctors in the 12 months prior to the survey. The questionnaire generated mainly categorical data analysed with descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the group of respondents who taught doctors (n =2906), most provided informal teaching (92.9%, n=2677). Nearly a quarter (23.9%, n=695) self-rated the amount of time spent teaching as at least moderate in duration. The most common named teaching topics were documentation (74.8%, n=2005) and implementing unit procedures (74.3, n=1987), followed by medication charting (61.9%, n=1657) and choosing correct medications (55.8%, n=1493). Respondents felt their contributions were unrecognised by the doctors and students they taught (43.9%, n=1256).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational contributions while unrecognised could be considered positively by the respondents. However, discussion of teaching responsibilities is necessary to support the development of teaching protocols and supervision responsibilities as respondents reported teaching clinical medical tasks related to medications, consent and other skills within the medical domain. Study limitations include the nature of self-reported responses which cannot be validated and data drawn from a survey concluded in 2009.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Massey University, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilmour
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Massey University, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huntington
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bogossian
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Massey University, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leadbitter
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009726:Nurses / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Medical education; Nurses; informal teaching; midwives; survey