Abstract: Objective  To describe the teaching ability and training needs and to generate effective  training strategies of clinical teachers in teaching hospitals. Methods  A self-designed pre-test questionnaire for clinical teachers^, teaching skills training was used to survey 110 clinical teachers in teaching hospitals of a medical school, and 108 valid questionnaires were returned. Results   In classroom teaching, clinical teachers had a low understanding of bridge-in and objective, and paid more attention to the interaction with students, but the interaction form was single. The demand of clinical teachers for all kinds of teaching ability is above 60%, with teaching design ability and teaching research ability being the highest. Conclusion  Clinical teachers are less familiar with teaching design and teaching process, and have higher expectations and demands for teaching ability improvement. Therefore, medical colleges should attach great importance to the teaching ability training of teachers in teaching hospitals, and design training activities innovatively according to the training objectives, the characteristics, and the training needs.

Key words: teaching hospital, clinical teacher, teaching ability, teaching training