Objective:This paper analyzes the current research status, hotspots and future research on the teaching ability of clinical teachers in China, so as to provide reference for follow-up research. Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was selected as the literature database, and the current literature related to the teaching ability of clinical teachers was searched, and the effective literature included in the study was plotted by using CiteSpace software to draw the keyword co-occurrence map, cluster map and emergence, and the current research hotspots, evolution process and future trends of clinical teachers’ teaching ability were analyzed by combining the map. Results:A total of 236 valid articles were included in the study, and the number of papers published in 2021, 2023, and 2024 was significantly higher than before. The existing research hotspots include the construction of teaching ability model, the investigation of the current situation of competency, and the teacher training model.Conclusion:The research progress of clinical teachers’ teaching ability is significantly promoted by policies. The construction of clinical teachers’ teaching ability model has been a research hotspot for a long time. The cultivation of clinical teachers’ teaching ability is the future research direction.