A systematic review of the use and effectiveness of the Objective Structured Teaching Encounter.

BACKGROUND: The Objective Structured Teaching Encounter (OSTE) has been proposed as a means of promoting and assessing the teaching skills of medical faculty. AIMS: To describe the uses of the OSTE and the evidence supporting its effectiveness. METHOD: MEDLINE (January 1966 through February 2010) was searched for English-language studies detailing the use of an OSTE for any educational purpose. Reference lists from relevant review articles and identified studies were also searched. Of the 354 papers initially identified, 22 were included in the review. RESULTS: The OSTE has been used to assess and improve teaching performance and to assess the impact of other means of faculty development. Although qualitative results have been generally positive, there is little quantitative data to support using the OSTE as a means of improving teaching performance. There is moderate evidence suggesting the OSTE is a reliable and valid means of assessing teaching, although few ratings instruments have been adequately studied. CONCLUSIONS: The OSTE is a promising innovation with potential application to assessing and promoting the teaching skills of medical faculty. Further study is required to determine the most effective OSTE design.

Leadership development for program directors.

BACKGROUND: Residency program directors have increasingly challenging roles, but they may not be receiving adequate leadership development. OBJECTIVE: To assess and facilitate program directors' leadership self-awareness and development at a workshop retreat. METHODS: At our annual program director retreat, program directors and associate program directors from a variety of specialties completed the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), which evaluates an individual's behavior in conflict situations, and the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership (HBSL) model, which measures individuals' preferred leadership style in working with followers. Participants received their results during the retreat and discussed their leadership style results in the context of conflict situations experienced in the past. An online survey was distributed 3 weeks after the retreat to assess participant satisfaction and to determine whether participants would make changes to their leadership styles. RESULTS: Seventeen program directors attended the retreat and completed the tools. On the TKI, 47% preferred the Compromising mode for handling conflict, while 18% preferred either the Avoiding or Accommodating modes. On the HBSL, 71% of program directors preferred a Coaching leadership style. Ninety-one percent of postretreat-survey respondents found the leadership tools helpful and also thought they had a better awareness of their conflict mode and leadership style preferences. Eighty-two percent committed to a change in their leadership behaviors in the 6 months following the retreat. CONCLUSIONS: Leadership tools may be beneficial for promoting the professional development of program directors. The TKI and HBSL can be used within a local retreat or workshop as we describe to facilitate positive leadership-behavior changes.