Assessment of Medical Residents Technology Readiness for an Online Residents-as-Teachers Curriculum

Abstract

Objective: The University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine has a need to expand the current Residents-as-Teachers workshops into a comprehensive curriculum. One way to do so is to implement an online curriculum, but prior to this, the readiness of the medical residents to participate in such a curriculum should be assessed. Our objective was to determine whether the residents at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine are prepared to engage in an online Residents-as-Teachers program. Methods: This was a descriptive, mixed-method–design study that collected qualitative and quantitative data using an online survey and a focus-group interview. The study was conducted with students from 11 of the residency programs at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. Results: More than 80% of the participating residents had the technical knowledge to engage in an online program; 90.5% thought an online Residents-as-Teachers course would be a good alternative to what was currently available; 87.5% would be willing to participate in an online program, and 68.6% of the residents stated that they preferred an online course to a traditional one. Conclusion: Determinants of readiness for online learning at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine were identified and discussed. Our results suggest that the majority of the residents who participated in this study are ready to engage in an online Residents-as-Teachers program. The only potential barrier found was that one-third of the residents still preferred a traditional curriculum, even when they thought an online Residents-as-Teachers curriculum was a good alternative and were willing to participate in the course or courses forming part of such a curriculum. Therefore, prior to wide-spread implementation of such a curriculum, a pilot test should be conducted to maximize the presumed and eventual success of that curriculum.