Developing symbiotic clinical educators: using program logic to evaluate a clinical education course

Developing health professional clinical educators able to meet the shifting health care requirements of this century is a current government priority. To change practices in the clinic, those who teach need to change and that is best achieved by specific curricula designed for faculty development. Principles revealed during an investigation of a successful community-based medical education program underpin the Master of Clinical Education (MCE) course, a new faculty development curriculum. After six years, it is timely to evaluate whether the educational goals of the MCE course are being met. The MCE faculty employed an independent research officer to conduct the study. A two-phase approach used semi-structured interviews and content analysis to develop and assess outcomes against an outcomes logic model. The program achieved all short-term goals: understanding the symbiotic model; commitment to self as teacher; and changes in the way to give feedback. It achieved two of three medium-term goals: belief of transformation; and relationship development. One medium-term goal was not met: developing a sense of community. This evaluation of the MCE course shows the program develops clinicians as committed educators and also as change agents who see building relationships as the key to operating effectively within complex health services and systems.