Educating, Administrating, Promoting, and Evaluating: The Roles of Health Professions Education Community of Practice Facilitators
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Communities of Practice (CoP) are a model for faculty development in health professions education (HPE) that focuses on continuous improvement and a culture of shared responsibility. CoP facilitators are integral to the development and sustainability of CoPs. The researchers examined the experiences of HPE CoP facilitators by identifying their tasks, challenges, and strategies for overcoming barriers to guide CoP facilitation. Researchers engaged in a qualitative study of their own CoP facilitator experiences (n = 5) that were collected through a collaborative reflective inquiry using question prompts for guided reflection. Responses were examined utilising iterative thematic analysis in four phases. Positionality and reflexivity were considered through ongoing discussion among the research team. Four themes emerged to describe the responsibilities of CoP facilitators: Educator, Administrator, Promoter, and Evaluator. Challenges for facilitators included time, scheduling, defining participation and engagement, planning content, lack of formalised incentives, and measuring outcomes. Challenges were addressed by creating opportunities for asynchronous engagement, flexibility to meet the needs of participants, valuing and celebrating efforts rather than only outcomes, and focusing on the importance of CoPs. Our findings identified key roles and tasks of CoP facilitators which, when grouped into “before”, “during”, and “after” categories, provided a tool to specify the work facilitators may expect when developing, sustaining, and communicating about CoPs. These findings add facilitator-specific guidance, complementing previous work describing general CoP phases. The barriers identified within this study build upon those found in CoP literature within HPE and suggest contributors to sustainability.
Source: Journal of CME
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223071060