Rheumatologist and education leader Dr. Malcolm Turner visited the new Institute of Health Sciences Education from April 1 to June 21 and will be bringing lessons learned home.
A Staff Specialist at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Australia, Dr. Turner says his visit to the Institute has energized him to further develop a Directors of Physician Education program through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and to work on a framework for supporting Directors of Physician Education.
“It’s a funny thing to step away from a system with the thought of wanting to change it,” said Dr. Turner of his sabbatical. “That’s a big thing – to have time to stop and think. To just ponder. To step sideways outside of medical literature and read about, for example, innovation and change. I’m working on system-change to allow for better communication and peer support, and this should foster better education.”
Dr. Turner enjoys a reflective conversation and was a kind-hearted presence at the Institute, hanging out with staff and faculty during lunchbreaks and helping clean up after events. Arriving in Montréal was over three years in the making and he was joined by his wife and three children.
Clinical education matters, but faces barriers
As for his interest in medical education, he recognized the importance of good teaching as a child. His old-fashioned French instructor had pupils stand on their chairs while the instructor paced their ranks with a teaching stick, conducting them through grammar exercises.
“I hated French and came in bottom of the class, but then, the next year, we had a new teacher and he made the language come alive. I loved it,” said Dr. Turner. “I went from the bottom of the class to the top because of a teacher.”
Despite recognizing the importance of education, Dr. Turner continues to face barriers to raising the value of teaching in clinical settings and feels like something of a loner in his network. His eager intent to transform professional education in Australia had no traction initially.
“I had some naïve idealism about how I could change things,” he said. “I’ve now realized the entrenched nature of big bureaucratic systems.”
Feeling isolated in the field, this sabbatical was an opportunity for him to recharge his batteries while developing some achievable goals to work toward back home with kindred spirits.
Creating a community of education leaders in Australia
Program Directors at hospitals in Australia report back to a central college administration in Sydney rather than working together across disciplines in their local hospital, so Dr. Turner says this can create silos rather than fostering collaboration and shared learning.
Given this barrier, Dr. Turner hopes to start encouraging Program Directors from different hospitals who share the same specialization to start working together.
“Because of the dispersed nature of the hospitals in Australia, we’re separated and there’s no clear process for uniting them,” Dr. Turner said. “Each hospital is kind of on its own island, unlike the kind of synergy you see here in Québec, so I want to create a kind of community of practice among Program Directors and other educators.”
Dr. Turner also runs a workshop for new Program Directors and sees this as an ideal chance to set the tone for energetic new PDs, supporting them in their aspirations and providing resources where possible.
“I think my Program Director role can be a very powerful position for educational change,” Dr. Turner said.
His time at the Institute has been useful in this respect, helping him clarify ideas and approaches to change based on evidence-based practices here.
“Coming here, the first thing that strikes you is the level of sophistication of educational discourse,” he said. “By coming here and seeing the benefit of a well-oiled machine, it definitely reminds me that the ground back home is so fertile for change and there’s such potential, so I’m definitely recharged and reinvigorated for that.”
Dr. Turner takes home more than new energy and ideas, but also memories of walking his children to school through the snow, BIXI rides and his son picking a chocolate birthday cake from a local bakery.
Best wishes to you and your family on your next adventure, Dr. Turner.
