Resilience: a nationwide study of medical educators

Abstract

Background: Medical educators have the potential to play an important role in addressing resilience issues across the medical education continuum. Yet, limited research has explored this cohort, particularly in the UK context. This study aims to address this gap by exploring resilience and the factors that relate to resilience in UK medical educators. Methods:A cross-sectional online questionnaire was employed. It contained the validated Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25) and Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), for determining medical educator resilience and depression levels respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics were also collected to identify potential factors associated with resilience. Finally, participants identified factors that facilitated or undermined their resilience through open-ended questions. Data was analysed using quantitative (e.g. multiple regression analysis), and qualitative (i.e. thematic framework analysis) approaches.Results: Among 244 UK participants, the mean CD-RISC-25 score was 72.9 and standard deviation 10.3. The PHQ-8 score was the only significant negative predictor identified (B = -1.22, p < 0.001). Other sociodemographic variables examined were not found to be predictors of CD-RISC-25 scores. Educators identified multidimensional factors influencing their resilience, but predominately viewed internal factors as being supportive, and external factors as undermining. Conclusions:Medical educators in this study had resilience levels that were comparable to other population samples. The study also highlights the importance of considering external factors, such as contextual and sociocultural influences, in addition to individual factors when addressing resilience.

Resilience: insights from medical educators

“…However, the predominance with which resilience was described as an internal process suggests that participants tended to perceive it in terms of the individual. As reported in our original article, participating educators recognised the multidimensional factors influencing their own resilience . This did not seem to necessarily translate into how they actually conceptualised resilience, however, which was largely oriented around the individual.…”

“…Of 247 participants, three did not meet inclusion criteria. Table highlights important participant characteristics, although their full sociodemographic data are available in the original article …”

“…Consistent with a pragmatic paradigm, a qualitative strand of open‐ended questions was woven throughout a larger quantitative, cross‐sectional online questionnaire . Further information about the details of questionnaire development and recruitment for the broader study can be found elsewhere …”

“…Notably, medical educators have unique opportunities to foster resilience across the medical education continuum through their key roles in the formal, informal and hidden curricula, as outlined in Table . Surprisingly, despite the large body of literature exploring learner resilience, little empirical research has examined resilience in medical educators . Studies that do exist have not explored educators’ conceptualisations of resilience or their influence on cultivating the resilience of learners through medical education.…”