The Impact of Medical Education Fellowships on the Careers of Graduates
Abstract
Learning Objective: Our objective was to explore the impact of medical education fellowship training on the careers of graduates.
Background: Medical education fellowships in emergency medicine provide training in teaching, assessment, educational program administration, and scholarship. The longitudinal impact of this training is unknown.
Objective: To explore the impact of medical education fellowships on the careers of graduates.
Methods: We performed a qualitative study with a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm using semi-structured interviews. We used a purposeful randomized stratified sampling strategy of graduates to ensure diversity of representation (gender, region, fellowship duration, and career stage). Subjects were invited by email to participate in semi-structured video interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Two researchers independently analyzed the data using a modified grounded theory approach and resolved discrepancies through in-depth discussion. Inter-rater agreement was 93.7%.
Results: The characteristics of the 10 participants are displayed in Table 1. Participants sought fellowship training because of their passion for education, for career preparation, and at the advice of mentors. Participants felt that fellowships provided formal training and important relationships in a supportive learning environment. Fellowship training gave fellows a community, helped them develop expertise, influenced their mindset and impacted careers in both the short and long term. Participants noted that fellowship enhanced their self-efficacy, broadened their educational world view, shaped their professional identity, validated their skill set, and prepared them for job tasks. Participants felt that fellowship increased their competitiveness in the job market, focused the direction of their career, helped develop their niche, and positively affected their career trajectory (Table 2).
Conclusion: Fellowship training in medical education broadly influenced the short and long-term mindset and careers of graduates.