Twelve tips for creating and sustaining a peer assessment program of clinical faculty

Med Teach. 2024 Feb;46(2):183-187. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2023.2252602. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Abstract

While feedback is essential for learning in the health professions, clinical teachers rarely get feedback on their teaching, and the existing feedback is often non-specific and distant from teaching encounters. To enhance clinical teaching, we created a peer assessment program for clinical faculty. This program has been well-received and sustained for five years despite the challenges of faculty turnover and the pandemic. In this article, we identify twelve tips for creating and sustaining a peer assessment program for clinical faculty based on this experience. These tips focus on how to create a culture that supports peer assessment, on how best to implement a peer assessment program in practical terms, and on how to sustain a peer assessment program long-term. We hope these tips help educators receive better feedback about their clinical teaching and improve the future care delivered by our learners.

Keywords: Peer observation; clinical teaching; faculty development; feedback; medical education.

MeSH terms

  • Faculty, Medical*
  • Feedback
  • Humans
  • Learning*
  • Peer Group
  • Peer Review
  • Program Evaluation
  • Teaching