Abstract
Medical school teaching is a skill that is very often learned on the job. The faculty comprised of researchers and clinicians are expert in many biomedical disciplines, but familiarity with learning theories and pedagogy are usually not included in their knowledge and skill sets. The pressure to see patients and acquire extramural funding leaves little time for faculty to learn how to teach. When coupled with the natural attrition of senior faculty it is necessary to start junior faculty on the correct path to being effective medical educators who are capable of lecturing and facilitating. Institutions cannot afford to have medical educators learn through trial and error. The standards set by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) are also creating an urgency to produce competent teachers as quickly as possible. Novice teachers need to be able to use these standards to align their teaching with goals, objectives and the appropriate pedagogy. This article is designed to be a self-directed guide describing some essentials that a newly hired faculty member can quickly use to get started. An institutional faculty development program can then serve to build upon and enrich the experience for the new faculty member.