Measuring the roles of health professions educators: perspectives from faculty members in the colleges of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and applied medical sciences

Background Health professions educators fulfil multiple roles that are critical to effective teaching, assessment, and curriculum implementation. However, empirical evidence examining these roles across different professional fields remains limited. Aim This study aimed to explore the roles of health professions educators across professional disciplines and to examine the relationships among these roles using a validated measurement instrument. Methods A cross-sectional study design was employed using a self-administered questionnaire developed based on an integrated conceptual framework of educator roles. The instrument was validated through expert review and exploratory factor analysis. Data were analyzed to assess construct validity, internal consistency, and the interrelationships among identified roles. Results The findings supported a multidimensional structure of health professions educator roles and demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and factorability of the instrument. Relationships among educator roles highlighted their interconnected nature across professional fields. Conclusion This study contributes to the growing literature on health professions education by offering a validated framework and measurement approach for assessing educator roles. Despite limitations related to sample size and representation, the findings provide a foundation for future large-scale studies and further psychometric validation.