Faculty development as transformation: lessons learned from a process-oriented program.

BACKGROUND: Faculty development programs tend to be oriented around content, yet many have produced positive outcomes unrelated to the content. We describe a faculty development program that utilized the processes of shared reading and guided reflection espoused by narrative medicine. DESCRIPTION: To date, 25 preceptors in the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course have participated. The program consists of weekly seminars in which participants actively engage with text as a basis for conversation around content as well as teaching strategies. EVALUATION: Using qualitative methods, we examined notes from seminars, in-depth interviews, and review of curricular documents; we used conceptual frameworks from education as interpretive lenses. Participants recognized both personal growth and transformation in relationships with each other, which created the opportunity, and the means, to address and reshape norms and teaching practices at the institution. CONCLUSIONS: Process-oriented faculty development programs may foster growth of individuals, contribute to transformation in relationships, and ultimately influence teaching practices.