Let’s Talk Education Research in Emergency Medicine: An Interview With Dr. Wendy Coates By Maurice Dick Wendy Coates, MD, is professor of emergency medicine at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine at Harbor-UCLA. She pioneered the first post-graduate fellowship in medical education scholarship and research in 1997 and recently led the creation of SAEM’s Dr. Wendy Coates research course, ARMED MedEd for which she presently serves as codirector. Dr. Coates also serves as the secretary/treasurer and member of the executive committee on the SAEM Board of Directors.
What is this field of emergency medicine (EM) education research all about? What triggered your interest in pursuing this career path?
SAEM PULSE | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022
Education research has its roots in social and cognitive science and in the past was conducted primarily by learning scientists without medical training. In the early 20th century, there was an upheaval led by Abraham Flexner questioning the way doctors were trained in the US that prompted experimentation with new teaching methods. By the mid-20th century, this movement was gaining momentum and islands of reform appeared.
46 46
(Case) Western Reserve Medical School pioneered a revolutionary medical curriculum. With my roots in education theory, I was thrilled to study medicine there and thrived in the creative environment with so many pioneers in medical education research. Later, I joined the EM faculty at HarborUCLA in Los Angeles, where our chair, Dr. Bob Hockberger, set high standards for faculty achievement. Immersed in this faculty group of impressive leaders, I had the mentorship and surrounding experts I needed to carve out my career path to create new opportunities for our specialty to lead the way in rigorous medical education research.
Looking back at the beginning of your career in this field, there would have been significant changes from then to now, medically, scientifically, environmentally, can you identify some changes and how they impacted your research?
When I first started, education research was not a common discipline in the medical field. There were amazing teachers from whom learners and their patients derived great benefit, but there was no way to “package” their unique skill and export it widely. Early on, if you wanted to study an educational phenomenon, you had to partner with PhD researchers.
“To be a successful researcher in any discipline, there is a pretty standard formula for success: knowledge, mentorship, and networks.” Obtaining an advanced degree was limited to a master’s degree focused on kindergarten-12th grade education! I was a credentialed secondary education and adult education teacher and involved in a national organization that endorsed measurable outcomes for high school science students. With rigorous post-graduate training in methodology, I knew I wanted to join an academic emergency department (ED) to apply these skills to make a measurable difference in patient outcomes. Nowadays, it’s easy to find training in education research methods through courses offered by organizations (like ARMED MedEd at SAEM) or through fellowship programs at academic EDs or health professions education master’s degrees.
Is there a synergistic relationship between EM education research and the delivery of health care? How does one benefit the other?
This goes so far beyond synergy; the delivery of health care is the core driver of all research, including that focused on medical education. Every research question should consider patient outcomes, from basic science, clinical trials, to the scientific basis of imparting this knowledge to learners at all levels.
Method design is a critical determining factor toward the quality of any research. What are the key components that must be included in medical education research?
As in any research project, you must consider key elements when designing a medical education study. This begins with posing a feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, relevant (FINER) research question, then defining theoretical and conceptual frameworks to answer it. Both hypothesis testing (deductive) and subjective/inductive frameworks are possible. External and internal validity should be considered in advance and a comprehensive research plan should be constructed and reported, with careful consideration to the methods: selection of participants, specific aims, data analysis, etc. Assembling a
