Medical Education Track | Department of Internal Medicine | UC Davis Health

Medical Education Track

The future of academic medicine relies on strong teachers and leaders. There are few places where a resident can gain formal education and practice in learning theory, effective teaching and feedback techniques, presentation expertise and leadership skills. The Internal Medicine Residency program offers a one year Medical Education Track geared toward mastering these skills as you gain valuable experience as teachers.

students in the UC Davis School of Medicine Student-Run Clinic

Residents in the Medical Education Track will meet regularly with top clinician-educators to learn key teaching skills. Those who completed the track and gone on to jobs or fellowships uniformly have stated that their potential new employers highly regarded this experience.

The medical education track curriculum takes place during the 2nd or 3rd year of residency, and residents can apply in the second half of either their 1st or 2nd year.

Residents in this track receive specialized training on how to become an expert clinical-educator. Some of these activities include:

  • Attending seminars on topics such as learning climate, teaching at the bedside, giving feedback, working with learners in difficulty, teaching in large and small groups, and mentoring
  • Meeting with an assigned Medical Education Mentor who will guide you through the track activities and support you throughout your education
  • Receiving top priority for taking the Master Clinician Educator Elective, our top-rated elective in the program

After learning these new skills, residents in this track are given multiple opportunities to lead in real teaching situations. For example, they will be able to:

  • Precept 2 second year medical students in the Doctoring 2 course. You will meet with your students 4-6 times per year and observe them perform an HP, review their written work, and give them feedback on their performance
  • Deliver a lecture in either small group format to medical students or interns or large group format to residents where you will be observed and provided with direct feedback
  • Teach at the bedside where you will be observed and provided with direct feedback
  • Observe a master clinical educator and reflect on the teaching skills they utilize

Licensed residents may also choose to practice their skills by serving as teaching attendings for students in the UC Davis School of Medicine Student-Run Clinics.