The benefits of being a near-peer teacher

Abstract

Twenty-eight questionnaires were gathered (54.9% response rate), including 20 from Southampton and eight from BSMS. Long-term knowledge retention and better understanding of the material were rated 8.1 and 7.9 out of 10, respectively. Eight responses were from currently practising doctors, who rated how much they now use their teaching skills as doctors as 8.9 out of 10. Of the eight doctors, seven gained points for their foundation programme applications as a direct result of near-peer teaching. The most common motivator for engaging in teaching was to improve subject matter knowledge and the most common benefit was improved communication skills. There are numerous advantages to being a near-peer teacher in medical school DISCUSSION: There are numerous advantages to being a near-peer teacher in medical school, which include knowledge improvement, transferrable professional skills and employability. These initial results support the hypothesised benefits to the teachers and provide a foundation for further longitudinal studies.

Organising near‐peer teaching programmes for clinical professionals

“…There is no universally accepted definition of what near‐peer teaching is: the concept has been variously described as ‘an approach where the teacher is at least one year senior to the learner’, ‘trainees teaching more junior trainee colleagues’, and ‘a form of teaching where students are instructed by other students’ . A comprehensive definition, however, is as follows: ‘people from similar social groupings who are not professional teachers helping each other to learn and learning themselves by teaching’ .…”

“…Benefits are not limited to the learner. Teaching in near‐peer programmes encourages those working in clinical practice to refresh their own knowledge and keep up to date . Across the spectrum of health care roles, there is a growing expectation that professionals will engage in teaching and training others .…”

“…In a UK‐based study, medical students involved in near‐peer teaching programmes reported an increase in their confidence in theoretical and clinical skills . A two‐centre UK study surveyed near‐peer teachers, rather than students: the benefits for them reportedly extended to improved communication skills, increased subject knowledge and employability . A third study combined questionnaires for students with a standardised teaching assessment for near‐peer teachers, completed by a senior teacher.…”

Teaching human factors: a near‐peer approach

“…Our aim was to develop a sustainable model of HFE training that did not rely on a small pool of expert tutors, making use of the enthusiasm and relatable experiences of NPTs and the consistency of a course handbook. By encouraging the participation of NPTs, we aimed to develop their own knowledge of HFE and to provide tutoring experience . In order to maintain quality, we aimed to ensure that feedback from this NPT‐led course was comparable with previous course feedback.…”

“…This NPT approach has been shown to provide ‘informed insight’ into a clinical topic, whilst maintaining a relaxed learning environment . Participating in an NPT programme has also been shown to be beneficial for tutors as well as learners …”