Abstract: Objective This study aims to explore the impact of the young teachers' basic teaching skills competition (referred to as the young teachers' competition) on the long-term teaching development of medical teachers in colleges and universities. Methods Based on the registration data of 803 participating teachers in the young teachers' competition of Peking University Health Science Center from 2000 to 2024, a questionnaire survey was conducted among these teachers from March to July 2025. Meanwhile, follow-up data regarding the teaching research projects and award records of the participating teachers were collected from the university's administrative departments. For multivariate analysis, general linear regression was adopted for continuous variables and logistic regression for binary variables to control confounding factors. The adjusted variables included the age at participation, gender, and whether the teachers were engaged in frontline clinical work. Results A total of 803 teachers were included, among whom 651 participated only in the university-level competition (the university-level group) and 152 participated in the Beijing municipal competition (the municipal-level group). In terms of short-term gains, the more time invested, the higher the level of awards obtained (an additional month of preparation was associated with a 0.3 point increase in the award grade), along with a higher proportion of winning individual awards. The association with participation in the university-level competition stage remains statistically significant in the multivariate analysis (all P<0.001). In terms of long-term gains, compared with the university-level group, the municipal-level group had more teaching research projects, more teaching-related awards, and a higher proportion of teachers who recognized the competition's role in promoting teaching work and skills. Specifically, the average number of teaching projects was (0.54±0.07) vs. (0.30±0.03); the average number of teaching-related awards was (2.14±0.20) vs. (1.15±0.10).All these differences remained statistically significant in the multivariate analysis (all P<0.001); the proportion of teachers who believed the competition helped improve teaching ability was 96.7% (116/120) vs. 83.0% (264/318); and the proportion of teachers who thought it helped optimize curriculum design was 95.8% (115/120) vs. 84.9% (270/318). Meanwhile, a longer investment of time was associated with more teaching research projects, more teaching-related awards, and a higher proportion of teachers acknowledging the benefits to their teaching work and skills. Teachers who invested ≤1 month, 2 months, and ≥3 months had the following respective outcomes: average number of teaching projects (0.25±0.08), (0.25±0.07), and (0.58±0.09); average number of teaching-related awards (1.23±0.20), (1.14±0.19), and (1.90±0.24), all these differences were not statistically significant in the multivariate analysis. (P=0.991 and 0.469); proportion of teachers who believed it improved teaching ability 80.5% (128/159), 88.1% (148/168), and 93.7% (104/111); and proportion of teachers who thought it optimized curriculum design 82.4% (131/159), 88.7% (149/168), and 94.6% (105/111). In addition, young teachers not engaged in frontline clinical work had significantly more teaching research projects and teaching-related awards than those working in frontline clinical settings: (0.60±0.06) vs. (0.21±0.04) for teaching projects, and (2.30±0.16) vs. (0.95±0.10) for teaching-related awards, all differences were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Conclusions The young teachers' competition has both short-term and long-term promoting effects on the teaching development of young teachers. Teachers who participated in the Beijing municipal-level competition obtained greater long-term objective and subjective benefits related to teaching. A longer time investment was associated with higher award levels and more awards, as well as greater long-term objective and subjective benefits in teaching. Young teachers working in clinical frontline achieved significantly fewer teaching projects and teaching-related awards compared with those not in frontline positions. It is suggested that young teachers take the competition as a way to make progress and facilitate their own teaching development, but attention should be paid to the subsequent teaching transformation of young teachers working in the clinical frontline.

Key words: Teaching, Basic skills competition, Young teachers, Teaching development, Teaching project, Teaching award