Nephrology residents must learn the fundamentals of an entire subspecialty in 2 years and although they will rise to the challenge, they will then face a far more difficult task. They will need to be ready for what they have not seen or done during their training, to adapt to changes in practice throughout their careers, to be prepared to develop innovations in their day-to-day practice, and to lead advances in the field at large. Dr. Amit Kaushal’s academic focus is to develop curricular content and teaching modalities in nephrology training which prepare learners for the challenges of today and ensure they are ready to rise to the challenges of tomorrow. In doing so, he considers what is taught – specifically focusing on clinical cases which have increasing difficulty and introduce complexity or uncertainty. He also considers how to teach small group sessions, case-based learning, simulation, and traditional lectures, aligned with the ideal learning environment. The aim of his work is to maximize the educational experience and support the development of clinicians who are ready to lead the field.
As the Service Chief of General Nephrology at UHN, Dr. Amit Kaushal coordinates the house staff across all general nephrology services with a lead role ensuring the stability of clinical teams and meeting the needs of a large inpatient population across UHN and Mount Sinai Hospital. He is also responsible for the onboarding and offboarding of new learners and team members, coordinating house staff deployment, interfacing with staff physicians, nurse practitioners, and the dialysis team, and coordinating responses to service related crises.
As a health care provider, Dr. Amit Kaushal often reflects upon how the exceptional training he received is at the core of his professional identity, providing him with the knowledge and skills to navigate an entire career in this rapidly evolving field. As a teacher, He am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the educational mission of his profession. The central tenets of his teaching philosophy are a) the learning environment should be safe, and b) learning should be personalized to the current and future needs of the learner. Finally, it is crucial to recognize that most learning takes place after formal teaching ends, when learners successfully apply the knowledge they have acquired to new problems and form an evolving framework of understanding through their own experiences. As an instructor, his aim is to facilitate the learning process in its entirety, helping to prepare learners with what they need today, while ensuring they are ready to face what they do not know or might see tomorrow.