Developing Anesthesia Clinical Educators Through Structured Peer Observation of Teaching at a Military Treatment Facility

Background Anesthesia faculty assigned to graduate medical education programs within the Defense Health Agency are expected to train future physicians without formal health professions education instruction. This project was conceived to enhance clinical anesthesia teaching at Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command San Diego. The aim was to design, execute, and study a peer observation of anesthesia teaching program within the operating room using a novel teaching rubric. Methods Three anesthesia faculty with teaching certificates were recruited to serve as peer observers. Following an informational recruitment campaign, 10 anesthesia faculty volunteered as participants. The observers and participants paired up, reviewed the teaching rubric, and scheduled observations for precepting a new clinical anesthesia resident to induce anesthesia and intubate a patient. After each teaching session, observers provided feedback to participants. Semi-structured interviews with each participant were recorded, transcribed, and examined through content analysis. Results Nine participants completed the study and endorsed a transformative perception of peer observation, an inclination to enact changes in teaching practice based on feedback, and a willingness to participate again. Barriers to engagement included limited familiarity with peer observation, performance anxiety, distractive concerns, and logistical burdens. Participants identified recommendations included incorporating the rubric as an advanced organizer, enhancing feedback timeliness, expanding the rubric for advanced learners, and systemic changes to increase impact. Before this study, no faculty participants had previously experienced peer observation of clinical anesthesia teaching. Preliminary impressions varied, with most approaching the experience feeling cautious to neutral (5, 55%). Others viewed peer observation as an opportunity for professional development (8, 88%), while a few participated because of curiosity (3, 33%). A majority of participants (7, 77%) reported feeling hesitant, specifically anxious (6, 66%) or distracted (2, 22%). One participant (1, 11%) expressed concern regarding the accuracy of feedback. During the observation, 4 participants (44%) expressed feelings of anxiousness; however, all participants (100%) reported the experience as positive and gained new insight about their teaching. Conclusions Although anesthesia faculty may have limited familiarity with peer observation and express hesitancy, participation can result in a positive, transformative impact on their teaching practices. This pilot study identified valuable insights to create a sustainable and informed peer observation clinical anesthesia teaching program, using a novel rubric. Future investigations should focus on rubric validation and modifying it for senior anesthesia learners and other procedural specialties.