Faculty development in the Pacific

Background: Since 2006, students from Pacific island nations have been sent to Cuba to train as doctors in a health
system that emphasizes community and primary health care. They are now returning as interns to their home
country. It was found that they are not well prepared for hospital work as interns, and their supervisors have had
little experience supervising and providing medical education for interns. Faculty development for this role was
required.
Summary of Work: This paper reports outcomes from a series of one week medical education faculty development
workshops that have been undertaken in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Palau and Fiji. These workshops
aim to upskill clinical supervisors in contemporary knowledge, skills and attitudes related to learning, teaching and
supervision in their clinical settings.

Summary of Results: The presentation will describe the theoretical basis for the workshops, using action research
cycles, as well as the topics and skills covered. Outcomes from the workshops, including participant feedback will be
described. A main outcome was the increase in teaching confidence as well as the development of educator skills.
Recommendations for faculty development in other low resource countries will be discussed.
Discussion and Conclusion: One week workshops are effective for developing faculty educator skills for clinical
supervisors in Pacific Island nations. Core concepts such as learning as opposed to teaching and active rather than
passive learning are readily adopted by participants. Whilst a week long workshop is not the optimum time, it works
well in resource poor nations for developing a positive teaching culture and supervisor skills as educators.
Take Home Messages: Week long workshops are effective in increasing faculty knowledge and skills in medical
education in low resource settings and where there is no previous teaching culture.