Skills of the medical resident as an educator in a private university of Peru

Introduction: Training of resident physicians as educators is essential due to the importance of this role in teaching the health personnel. Knowing their knowledge, attitudes and practices is critical for the implementation of a training program in teaching-learning techniques. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and comparative study was conducted on a total sample of 271 resident doctors. The opinions, attitudes and practices on teaching-learning techniques to residents of different years, gender, and specialty were compared using a questionnaire. The statistical methods of ANOVA with a level of statistical significance of less than 0.05 were used. Results: Although less than half claimed to have been formally trained in medical education, the resident physicians showed an adequate self-perception of their knowledge in this area. This was significantly higher in third year and senior residents compared to those from the first year (P =.008 and P =.034, respectively) on the teaching of students and medical interns. “Improving performance as a professional” was the main reason that stimulated resident doctors to learn more about medical education. Residents are motivated to train more on the subject, with interactive conferences with a teacher, and working in small groups with a moderator, being the most preferred educational strategies. Conclusion: The residents of this study showed adequate knowledge, attitudes and practices towards teaching-learning techniques, with a structured workshop based on their needs and expectations is a priority for an effective intervention.