• Suzanne Minor, Kristen Hood Watson, Rodolfo Bonnin, Suzanne Perkins, Vanessa Diaz, and Joanna Drowos.
• Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, University Park, FL.
• Fam Med. 2023 May 1; 55 (5): 328332328-332.

Background And ObjectivesSuccessful clerkship directors (CDs) must exhibit a variety of leadership, administrative, educational, and interpersonal skills. This study investigates the professional development needs for family medicine CDs to be successful in their role, in relation to career stage, institutional support, and needed resources.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of CDs at qualifying United States and Canadian medical schools was performed between April 29, 2021 and May 28, 2021. Questions addressed specific training when beginning CD position, professional development activities that have contributed to success, additional professional development skills required to be a successful CD, and planned future development activities. We utilized χ2 square and Mann-Whitney U tests for comparisons.ResultsSurveys were completed by 75 CDs, for a response rate of 48.8%. Only 33.3% of respondents reported receiving training specific to their role as CD. The majority of respondents cited informal mentoring and conference attendance as important to their professional development, but none identified graduate degrees as the most important method of professional development.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate the lack of formal training provided to CDs and highlight the importance of informal training and conference attendance for professional development.

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