Scholars in Medical Education Pathway

The Scholars in Medical Education (SIME) pathway provides unique and dedicated educational experiences at the postgraduate level for physicians seeking careers as medical educators, educational scholars and leaders. The pathway provides a foundation for residents whose career focus includes curriculum design, scholarship, administration and leadership in medical education. Its overall aim is to develop skills that residents will use to become agents of educational change.

Pathway Features

Core Curriculum

One 2-week elective block for PYG-2s
Two 2-week elective blocks for PGY-3+
Foundational topics in medical education
Application of educational principles in own teaching and scholarship
Advanced topics for seniors, with emphasis on scholarship in medical education

PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents will focus on completing their independent projects while receiving 1:1 support and feedback from MedEd Scholars in their area of interest. In addition, they will participate in advanced topics in medical education

Educational projects

Educational innovations benefiting BWH residency training and Harvard Medical Students
Design, implementation, evaluation, and publication of:
- Team projects
- Individual projects
Examples of previous projects include:
- PGY1-2 transitions curriculum
- Leading rapid responses simulation-based curriculum
- PAUSE curriculum: a program-wide approach to debriefing codes
- Simulation-based curriculum for ultrasound-guided procedures
- A systematic approach for resident coaching of sub-intern medicacl students
- Many others!

Peer coaching in teaching skills

Evidence informed approach to teaching
Microteaching sessions
Training in coaching peer teachers
Self- reflection on own teaching
Feedback on teaching

Mentoring

From pathway director, Dr. Subha Ramani
From BWH DOM educators with expertise in specific areas
From national and international educators beyond BWH Hospital
Informal discussions with core educators and educational leaders
Future plans for shadowing and field trips outside medical campus

Specific objectives

The SIME Pathway will:

Prepare residents for future roles as leaders and scholars in medical education
Train residents in the evidence and principles that underlie effective approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment
Stimulate residents to adopt a scholarly approach to teaching, curriculum design and improvement, and educational research

Contribute to the educational mission of the Department of Medicine through individual and group projects in curriculum design and improvement as well as educational scholarship
Form a community of educators to study, define, and apply best practices in education within the department, hospital and the medical school

Events

Current pathway events/projects:

Rapid response curriculum for PGY1 residents- Spring of PGY1 year
Transitions from PGY1-PGY2- Half day retreat Spring of PGY1 year
Junior resident retreat- A day-long retreat focusing on teaching skills- Fall of PGY2 year
PAUSE training- emotional debriefing after serious events
Periodic simulation-based workshops on ultrasound-guided procedures

Application Process

During spring of PGY1 year, residents interested in advanced training in medical education will indicate their interest to Chief residents. The residency program will add residents to a list and add the pathway elective to their PGY2 schedule.

No formal application is needed.