Residents as Teachers (RaT)

Residents as Teachers (RaT) provides residency programs with a curriculum, facilitation materials, and other supports to teach residents to be effective teachers. 
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RaT Program Description and Requirements

RaT is a compilation of resources and supports for residency programs and faculty to use to help residents to become effective teachers. The goal of RaT is to support residency programs to implement a curriculum to equip residents with the basic knowledge and skills to teach effectively. 

Residency programs will have access to PowerPoints and facilitator guides to deliver each topic. They will also be able to consult with faculty development experts to plan their session or program.

The Office of Faculty Development periodically offers workshops on the topics for all residents (as needed).

NOTE: RaT Fundamentals (modules 1 & 2) are mandatory. Residents must complete them during their first 6 months at UBC. They can complete the RaT Certificate Program during the course of their residency. 

RaT Fundamentals Modules 1 & 2

RaT Fundamentals Modules 1 & 2

RaT Fundamentals is a mandatory 2-module course that is an interactive combination of video, reflective questions, knowledge checks and downloadable tools to help new residents develop their teaching skills. This course provides a foundation for residents to build upon through their teaching journeys.

RaT Fundamentals is mandatory for all incoming residents to UBC.

    • Module Part 1: Residents to complete July 1-Aug 15
    • Module Part 2: Residents to complete Nov 1-Dec 15

Residents will access the modules through Entrada. The Office of Faculty Development will reach out to programs with instructions and deadlines to pass onto residents. Completion of the modules will be tracked by the Office. 

Click to access RaT Fundamentals Modules on Entrada.

RaT Certificate Program

RaT Certificate Program

After completing RaT Fundamentals, residents are encouraged to take the RaT Certificate Program which explores additional teaching topics. 

The RaT Certificate Program aims to extend residents’ teaching skills by further  exploring foundational teaching topics. Residents participate in the program by completing five topics which are available through live virtual sessions or guided self-directed learning.

Of the five topics required to receive a certificate:

  • Three are mandatory topics – residents must attend all sessions live
  • Two (or more) are supplementary topics – residents can select live or self-study completion of the sessions listed below 

Mandatory Topics (Live Session Attendance Required)

2
3
Teaching Clinical Reasoning

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

    • Outline the steps in diagnostic reasoning process
    • Identify the types of analysis in clinical reasoning
    • Practice the “collect-generate-prune” teaching method

Completion Option:
Please note: As this topic is mandatory, it must be attended live and does not have a self-study option.

    • REGISTER HERE for the live session:
      • Facilitator: Dr. Kyla Hildebrand
      • Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
      • Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm (PT)

2
3
Anti-Oppressive Teaching

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

    • Reflect on your power, privilege, and biases, and how it may impact your teaching
    • Identify anti-oppressive teaching strategies
    • Identify ways to counter discrimination, marginalization, and oppression in the learning environment by supporting students

Completion Option:
Please note: As this topic is mandatory, it must be attended live and does not have a self-study option.

    • REGISTER HERE for the live session:
      • Facilitators: TBA
      • Date: Monday, April 5, 2027
      • Time: 3:30pm – 5:00pm (PT)

2
3
Feedback Conversations and Supporting Reflection

Objectives for this topic are yet to be confirmed. You are welcome to create your own on bi-directional feedback conversations and how to support reflection.

Completion Option:
Please note: As this topic is mandatory, it must be attended live and does not have a self-study option.

    • REGISTER HERE for the live session:
      • Facilitators: TBA
      • Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2027
      • Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm (PT)

Supplementary Topics (Complete At Least 2)

2
3
Teaching Procedural Skills

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

    • Describe the basic principles for teaching procedural and technical skills
    • Formulate a plan to discuss how you will support the learner during the procedure
    • Practice breaking procedures down into manageable steps to support learner’s progression
    • Discuss common errors made by supervisors when teaching procedural skills

Completion options:

    • REGISTER HERE for the live session:
      • Facilitator: Dr. Henry Broekhuyse
      • Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
      • Time: 3:30pm – 5:00pm (PT)
    • Access the self-study package through Elentra (availability: TBA)

2
3
Supporting a Learner Experiencing Difficulty

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

    • Recognize and differentiate the ways in which learners experience difficulty
    • Demonstrate empathic communication (listening, non-verbal etc) to support a learner in difficulty
    • Identify early intervention strategies to mitigate stress on students while teaching
    • Provide support within their boundaries by guiding learners towards resources

Completion options:

    • REGISTER HERE for the live session:
      • Facilitator: Dr. Clarissa Wallace
      • Date: Thursday, February 4, 2027
      • Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm (PT)
    • Access the self-study package through Elentra (availability: TBA)

2
3
Designing Presentations for Learning

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

    • Foster a safe learning environment by using inclusive language and visuals
    • Apply effective design principles to lecture content
    • Optimize lecture content with the learning objectives for a successful 50-minute session
    • Identify different strategies that could be used in a lecture to engage learners
    • Promote learner engagement strategies that are appropriate for in-person or virtual large-group sessions
    • Recognize the process and timing for submitting all lecture materials and permissions

Completion option:

    • Access module through Elentra (availability: TBA)

2
3
Professionalism and the Hidden Curriculum

Objectives for this topic are yet to be confirmed. You are welcome to create your own if planning to offer this topic as a live session.

Completion option:

    • Access the self-study package through Elentra (availability: TBA)

Get Involved in Teaching

Get Involved in Teaching

Get Involved in Teaching 

We welcome residents who are interested in co-facilitating the live virtual sessions with a faculty facilitator. This is a great way to practice teaching and get involved in medical education. Please contact fac.dev@ubc.ca for details. 

Facilitation Materials for Programs

Facilitation Materials

For Programs that want to offer tailored sessions, the facilitation materials are meant as a starting point; please edit as needed to fit your context. The most successful sessions are those in which the facilitator adapted the slides and exercises to make them their own.

Facilitation materials can be accessed by filling out the following Qualtrics forms:

RaT Facilitation Materials

RaT Family Practice Facilitation Materials 

For more information, please email fac.dev@ubc.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Do I have to take all of the RaT topics in the first year of residency?
No, all RaT topics do not have to be completed in the first year of residency, 5 topics need to be completed during the course of residency for a certificate.
How can I deliver RaT topics?
The curriculum is flexible and topics can be delivered in any way that fits your program. For some programs this means a one day retreat, for others it is delivering several topics a year in academic half days. You are also welcome to teach the topics using different mehtods, such as lectures with discussions, blended learning, peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, etc.
The RaT curriculum materials don’t quite fit my program’s context. Can I adapt them?

Yes, we welcome programs to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the residents and the context.

What if I miss a session of the RaT certificate Program?
Please reach out to fac.dev@ubc.ca for self-study materials. You can use the self-study materials to replace up to TWO missed sessions.