Long-term follow-up of a 10-month programme in curriculum development for medical educators: a cohort study.

Context: There is an ongoing need for curriculum development (CD) in medical education. However, only a minority of medical teaching institutions provide faculty development in CD. This study evaluates the long-term impact of a longitudinal programme in curriculum development.

Methods: We surveyed eight cohorts of participants (n = 64) and non-participants (n = 64) from 1988 to 1996 at baseline and at 6-13 years after completion of a 10-month, one half-day per week programme offered annually, which included a mentored CD project, workshops on CD steps, a final paper and a presentation.

Results: Fifty-eight participants (91%) and 50 non-participants (78%) returned completed follow-up surveys. In analyses, controlling for background characteristics and baseline self-rated proficiencies, participants were more likely than non-participants at follow-up to report having developed and implemented curricula in the past 5 years (65.5% versus 43.7%; odds ratio [OR] 2.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-5.66), to report having performed needs assessment when planning a curriculum (86.1% versus 58.8%; OR 5.59, 95% CI 1.20-25.92), and to rate themselves highly in developing (OR 3.57, 95% CI 1.36-9.39), implementing (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.16-7.93) and evaluating (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.10-6.84) curricula. At follow-up, 86.2% of participants reported that the CD programme had made a moderate or great impact on their professional careers. Responses to an open-ended question on the impact confirmed continued involvement in CD work, confidence in CD skills, application of CD skills and knowledge beyond CD, improved time management, and lasting relationships formed because of the programme.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that a longitudinal faculty development programme that engages and supports faculty in real CD work can have long-lasting impact.