How feedback can foster professional growth of teachers in the clinical workplace: A review of the literature

• Professional growth of teachers in workplace learning settings requires attention.
• Student ratings can be used as a source of feedback for improving clinical teaching.
• Teachers should be assisted in translating student ratings into plans of action.
• Dialogue around feedback helps to use feedback for improving teaching practice.

Student ratings of teaching have received much attention in both higher and medical education research. Paramount has been the attention to the robustness of the instruments used to capture these ratings as a source of feedback for teachers. However evidence is scarce with regard to what happens after ratings are fed back to the teachers. This paper will focus on feedback facilitation strategies needed for medical teachers in the workplace setting to improve their teaching. First, the attributes of clinical teaching will be introduced, followed by a disquisition on feedback uptake, and finally reflection as a tool to improve teaching. Second, several recently published strategies aimed at improving clinical teaching through the facilitation of feedback are discussed.