Objective
To describe the teaching and evaluation modalities utilized by pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) training programs in the areas of professionalism and communication.
Design
Cross sectional national survey.
Setting
PCCM fellowship programs.
Subjects
PCCM program directors.
Interventions
None.
Measurements and Main Results
Survey response rate was 67% of program directors in the United States, representing educators for 73% of current PCCM fellows. Respondents had a median of 4 years experience, with a median of 7 fellows and 12 teaching faculty in his/her program. Faculty role modeling or direct observation with feedback were the most common modalities used to teach communication. However, 6 of the 8 (75%) required elements of communication evaluated were not specifically taught by all programs. Faculty role modeling was the most commonly utilized technique to teach professionalism in 44% of the content areas evaluated, and didactics were the technique utilized in 44% of other professionalism content areas. Thirteen of the 16 required elements of professionalism (81%) were not taught by all programs. Evaluations by members of the healthcare team were used for assessment for both competencies. The use of a specific teaching technique was not related to program size, program director experience, or training in medical education.
Conclusions
A wide range of techniques are currently utilized within PCCM to teach communication and professionalism, but there are a number of required elements that are not specifically taught by fellowship programs. These areas of deficiency represent opportunities for future investigation and improved education in the important competencies of communication and professionalism.
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