Background: Despite an increasing interest in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education, little is known about the training requirements, expertise and basic conditions of medical educators. Against this backdrop, we initiated a web-based survey amongst members of the "Gesellschaft für Medizinische Ausbildung" (German Section of the Association for Medical Education in Europe) e.V. (GMA).
Methods: We conducted a web-based survey designed to answer the following questions: How do medical educators judge (1) their training requirements, (2) their expertise and (3) basic conditions. 147 out of 373 members of the GMA e-mailing list responded to the questionnaire (overall response rate: 39%).
Results: The following were rated as high-priority training needs: development in medical education research methodology (56% of survey participants), student assessment (37%), supporting self-directed learning (35%), and computer-based training (32%). The highest level of expertise [Likert Scale: 1 = very low to 5 = very high] was perceived in: general teaching principles (3.76 +/- 0.74), curriculum development (3.74 +/- 0.95), student assessment (3.65 +/- 0.97] and evaluation of courses and curricula [3.65 +/- 0.9]. Regarding basic conditions, respondents noted a particular need for more funding in medical education [4.26 +/- 0.88] and more recognition of merits in medical education [4.20 +/- 0.92].
Conclusions: The survey respondents identified more training in research methodology and more academic recognition and funding as important challenges in the field of medical education.