Exploring the Domains of Faculty Development Programmes for Malaysian Medical School Lecturers: A Qualitative Study

Faculty development programmes (FDPs) are recognised to be effective mechanisms by which to enhance medical education. They cover various domains of both the clinical and non-clinical environments; however, the available data on these programmes are insufficient. The aim of this study was to explore the domains covered in FDPs conducted in Malaysian public medical schools. A qualitative approach was used for this study, which involved 30 participants from five Malaysian medical schools in 2019. The inclusion criteria for the study were (a) participants were lecturers who had served at least five years, (b) participants had experience with FDPs, and (c) participants were medical doctors. Trainee lectures were excluded from the study. Document analysis and focus group discussions were utilised for the collection of data. The data were analysed using the ATLAS.ti software and the inductive thematic analysis approach. The data analysis indicated three themes (personal attributes, professional attributes and curriculum management); six categories (communication skills, teaching and learning methods, e-learning, student management, assessment and research methodology) and 13 sub-categories namely, interpersonal communication, intrapersonal communication, adult learning, instructional models, problem-based learning (PBL), clinical-based learning (CBL), team-based learning (TBL), multiple-choice question (MCQ), single best answer (SBA), objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), standard setting, qualitative research and quantitative research. This study demonstrates the significant role played by FDPs in Malaysian public medical schools. Medical faculties are advised to incorporate all these domains into their development programmes.