Is There a Role for Pediatric Residents in Teaching Community Health Care Providers?

Residents commonly engage in a teaching role for peers and junior trainees. The associated learning benefits for the teachers and the audience are well documented. However, the concept of ‘reverse educational distance’ (RED), in which residents teach an audience that is academically senior, has never been studied. We explored Pediatric residents’ and community health care providers’ (cHCPs) perceptions of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) intervention with a RED approach, whereby residents would engage as teachers for cHCPs. We explored the perceived benefits, challenges, and ways to optimize the implementation of such intervention in a Pediatric residency program. Using a descriptive qualitative design, we conducted 8 focus groups, 4 with Pediatric residents and 4 with cHCPs, which included 4 to 5 participants per focus group. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Benefits anticipated by the residents included three themes: 1) optimizing residents’ incentive to learn; 2) focusing on the practical ‘real-world application’ of pediatric knowledge; and 3) better understanding of community practice. Benefits anticipated by cHCPs included two themes: 1) being updated on pediatric evidence-based practices; and 2) improving collaboration between cHCPs and future pediatricians. The major anticipated challenge of RED was the lack of clinical experience of the resident-teacher. A key suggestion for implementation included adequately supporting residents throughout the CPD intervention. Engaging residents as teachers for cHCPs could lead to learning benefits similar to those reported when residents teach peers and junior trainees. Some of the learning benefits for the residents may however be enhanced while others may be unique to the context of RED. Our findings can guide the development of novel CPD approaches that align with the educational mandate of medical programs, namely preparing future Pediatricians as health educators for the community and fostering inter-professional collaboration. RED is a promising educational strategy for CPD.