Becoming The Master Teacher

Tulane is about developing world-class academic physicians…. and while not all of our graduates will pursue a career in academics, all of them will have the choice. In addition to great clinical prowess, and research excellence, the Tulane residents become incredible teachers, mastering the principles of great clinical teaching (coaching) that can be found no where else in the country. The clinical coaching curriculum was designed by Dr. Wiese, and represents the summation of his medical education fellowship… in addition to multiple secret techniques of teaching that he has acquired after over a decade of teaching. The bottom line is this… there is no one in the country who can make you into the master teacher like Dr. Wiese. One look at his teaching portfolio will tell you why. And if you don’t believe that, check out the reviews from the over 800 chief residents who attended Dr. Wiese’s plenary presentation at the national chief resident’s training conference.

Learning the Techniques…
There are two primary curricula to mastering the teaching techniques…

The Clinical Coaching Elective:

This one-month elective occurs in February of each year. All interested interns and residents are allowed to take this course, and almost all residents will be a part of the curriculum prior to completing their training. The course addresses techniques such as controlling a session (big or small), developing advanced organizers, mastering voice (tempo & pitch) to inspire emotions, and many more (see below). And as Dr. Wiese will espouse… teaching is a performance support…. Those in the course will have multiple teaching drills to refine each skill, and multiple opportunities to teach first, second, third, forth-year students. By the end of the month, residents develop the ability to not only teach on the wards… but also effective bed-side teaching of the physical exam, teaching clinical reasoning, teaching in large (and super large groups) and doing presentations at national meetings. Of course, residents are privy to some of Dr. Wiese’s secret teaching techniques.

The Clinical Coaching Elective Roster of Objectives:

Becoming a Resident Curriculum- Every resident in the program receives this curriculum prior to beginning their resident years. The curriculum addresses the principles of teaching on the wards (a synopsis of the Clinical Coaching Elective), the principles of teaching the physical examination, teaching advanced clinical reasoning (Baysian theory), delivering effective feedback (using the COUGAR Curriculum designed by Wiese) and remediating skills deficits in medical students and interns (the COUGAR curriculum).

Refining the Techniques:

Education is the priority at Tulane… at all levels. Tulane residents become excellent teachers by formal instruction in medical education (see above) and by actively teaching during their training. This is important for the many residents who go on to practice in academic careers as well as for those who will rely upon patient education in their private practice. Excellence in resident teaching raises the bar for all teaching activities, and this sets the standard for Tulane.

The activities below are some of the ways that residents learn to be great teachers.

• Clinical Diagnosis Preceptor: Residents can serve as a preceptor for students involved in the second-year Clinical Diagnosis course. This course trains students in the principles of Baysian theory (pre-test probability, likelihood ratios, post-test probability, treatment threshold) in addition to using historical and physical examination data to formulate evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic plans.
• Interview Skills Preceptor: Residents can serve as a preceptor for first year students involved in the Foundations of Patient Care course. This course trains students in the principles of obtaining historical data and developing bedside skills.
• Standardized Patient Interview Skills: Residents can also work with the standardized patient program to improve first and second year students’ skills in obtaining historical data and managing ethical dilemmas.
• Faculty for the Clinical Coaching Elective: Residents who have graduated from the Tulane Clinical Coaching course can serve as faculty for this course held each February.
• Friday School: One of the beautiful features of Friday School is that everyone teaches each other. Check it out….