Translating faculty development into practice and professional identity: the lived experience of clinical educators

Introduction: There is limited evidence about whether and how faculty development programs influence clinical educators’ practice and professional identity formation, and the factors which make faculty development outcomes sustained and impactful. Methods: This multi-institution interpretive phenomenological study reports on the findings from in-depth interviews of 21 clinical educators who had participated in university-based longitudinal faculty development programs. Results: Participants perceived completing these programs had influenced their growth as clinical educators. There was evidence that participants experienced growth differently based on the program duration: all participants described growth in teaching practices but those who had completed a program of one year or longer in duration also articulated their experiences around growing in their educator identity and perspective. According to participants, the program elements that most influenced growth were embedded reflective learning activities, opportunities to learn and apply at the same time, and connections they made with other clinical educators in the program. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to an ongoing discussion around how clinical educators’ translate learning outcomes from university-based faculty development programs into their clinical and education workplaces. Importantly, they provide insights into how longer longitudinal faculty development programs can support professional identity development and provide a viable and visible career path as a future clinician educator.