Teaching the One-minute Preceptor

Abstract

The One-Minute Preceptor (OMP) model of faculty development is used widely to improve teaching, but its effect on teaching behavior has not been assessed. We aim to evaluate the effect of this intervention on residents' teaching skills. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Inpatient teaching services at both a tertiary care hospital and a Veterans Administration Medical Center affiliated with a University Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 57 second- and third-year internal medicine residents that were randomized to the intervention group ( n = 28) or to the control group ( n = 29). INTERVENTION: The intervention was a 1-hour session incorporating lecture, group discussion, and role-play. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Primary outcome measures were resident self-report and learner ratings of resident performance of the OMP teaching behaviors. Residents assigned to the intervention group reported statistically significant changes in all behaviors ( P < .05). Eighty-seven percent of residents rated the intervention as “useful or very useful” on a 1–5 point scale with a mean of 4.28. Student ratings of teacher performance showed improvements in all skills except “Teaching General Rules.” Learners of the residents in the intervention group reported increased motivation to do outside reading when compared to learners of the control residents. Ratings of overall teaching effectiveness were not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The OMP model is a brief and easy-to-administer intervention that provides modest improvements in residents' teaching skills.