Twelve tips for teaching in a provincially distributed medical education program.

Background: As distributed undergraduate and postgraduate medical education becomes more common, the challenges with the teaching and learning process also increase.

Aim: To collaboratively engage front line teachers in improving teaching in a distributed medical program.

Method: We recently conducted a contest on teaching tips in a provincially distributed medical education program and received entries from faculty and resident teachers.

Results: Tips that are helpful for teaching around clinical cases at distributed teaching sites include: ask "what if" questions to maximize clinical teaching opportunities, try the 5-min short snapper, multitask to allow direct observation, create dedicated time for feedback, there are really no stupid questions, and work with heterogeneous group of learners. Tips that are helpful for multi-site classroom teaching include: promote teacher-learner connectivity, optimize the long distance working relationship, use the reality television show model to maximize retention and captivate learners, include less teaching content if possible, tell learners what you are teaching and make it relevant and turn on the technology tap to fill the knowledge gap.

Conclusion: Overall, the above-mentioned tips offered by front line teachers can be helpful in distributed medical education.