Increasing Support and Job Satisfaction for Program Administrators at the Postgraduate Medical Education Program at the University of Ottawa: The Program Administrator‘s Perspective
Keywords:
Postgraduate medical education; program administrators; needs analysis; professional development; program improvementAbstract
Background: Realizing Program Administrators (PAs) are
crucial to the success of the postgraduate medical education (PGME)
program, the PGME office at the University of Ottawa conducted a
needs analysis to (a) identify training opportunities PAs felt would
support them in being effective at meeting role expectations including
supporting Program Directors (PDs) and (b) gather information from
PAs to guide the PGME office in taking positive action toward
increasing satisfaction with services and resources. Methods: A mixed
methods approach involved collecting and analyzing data from online
surveys and follow-up qualitative interviews. Data analysis was
conducted using the constructs of the W(e)Learn framework (content,
media (delivery), service, structure and outcomes). Results: PAs
identified the following professional development topics they said
would benefit them: Human Resources; Communication and Conflict
Management Courses; Career Development; Evaluation; Policy;
Multigenerational Workforces; and Best Technological Practices of Relevance
to PAs. The PAs also identified several recommendations for how the
PGME office could facilitate them effectively carrying out their roles and
responsibilities. Conclusions: An effective form of support is offering
convenient, relevant professional development to help employees meet
role expectations. A well-designed professional development program
should begin with a needs analysis to determine stakeholder needs with
regard to relevant content, preferred delivery methods, service issues
and course structure, in order to ensure desired learner outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2016 Dr. D. Puddester, Dr. C.J. MacDonald, H. Summers, Dr. A. Chaput, Dr. L. Wiesenfeld, Dr. D. Archibald
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