Junior Doctors Take the Lead: Building Teaching Skills Early

A group of junior doctors in Western Sweden stepped up to fill a gap in clinical teaching. Because the hospital lacked enough supervisors, the staff launched a voluntary program during the mandatory internship in 2018. Doctors who were already interested in teaching got the chance to guide medical students and their peers. The idea was two‑fold: give hands‑on teaching experience while also shaping these doctors into future educators. Participants learned classroom techniques, assessment methods and how to create a supportive learning environment. Through interviews, the study found that many doctors felt their confidence grew as they practiced new teaching strategies.They also reported a stronger sense of professional identity, seeing themselves not just as clinicians but as educators. Some challenges emerged: balancing clinical duties with teaching responsibilities and receiving feedback on their performance. Yet most felt the program was worthwhile, noting that it helped them understand student perspectives better. Overall, the internship track proved a promising model for early faculty development in medical schools that face teacher shortages. It shows that involving junior doctors can benefit both patient care and the next generation of physicians.