Understandably, the focus of most physicians is primarily on the biomedical-What is this disease or injury? Behavioral scientists from various disciplines in medical education generally have a broader approach-Who is this person with these symptoms and what is their story? Since behavioral scientists are often alone among U. S. residency faculty, physicians may fail to recognize the value of their approach to medical resident training. This review identifies and describes the top areas of expertise that behavioral scientists bring to medical education and how their training prepares them to think differently than other medical educators. In the course of identifying each competency, this review will emphasize the ways in which their skills and techniques are the origin of subtle impact in their teaching encounters, explore ways of targeting that impact, and discuss examples of this impact.
Keywords: behavioral science strategies; behavioral science tools; behavioral scientist identity; biopsychosocial model; medical education; residency education.