Introduction
General Resources

Clinical teaching takes place in the context of patient care. It is an intensely personal relationship between student and teacher/preceptor. The sites below provide principles and guidelines for effective clinical teaching.

Back to top

"Clinical Teaching," Thomas L. Schwenk, University of Michigan Medical School (CRLT Occasional Paper #1, 1987, University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching).
Discusses four factors required for successful clinical teaching and applies them to bedside teaching.
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/occ1.php

"Five Microskills for Clinical Teaching," developed by Kay Gordon and Barbara Meyer; adapted by David Irby and updated by Tom Greer (University of Washington School of Medicine).
Describes 5 microskills for effective clinical teaching plus examples of their application to 2 cases. Contains a simulation exercise for practicing these skills.
http://www.fammed.washington.edu/predoctoral/clerkship/forms/FiveMicroskillsforClinicalTeaching.pdf

"Learning and Teaching in the Clinical Environment," John Spencer, British Medical Journal 2003; 326: 591-594, 15 March.
Explains principles of learning theory applied to clinical teaching and learning.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7389/591

Principles of Clinical Teaching (Slippery Rock University).
Explores teaching strategies and also techniques for giving feedback to students as well as eliciting feedback from students in clinical situations.  
http://www.sru.edu/pages/3547.asp

Clinical Education (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Center for Teaching Excellence).
An extensive collection of links to web resources on all aspects of clinical teaching and education.
http://cte.umdnj.edu/clinical_education/index.cfm

“A Guide to Clinical Performance Testing,” Neal Whitman, University of Utah Medical Center. (IDEA Paper No. 7, Kansas State University, February 1982).
This paper describes the steps necessary for developing an effective performance evaluation in the health professions as well as other disciplines. Covers clarifying purposes, establishing performance goals and objectives, and several methods for measuring student performance such as checklists, observation logs, and anecdotal records. Stresses the need for multiple data sources and instruments.
http://www.theideacenter.org/sites/default/files/Idea_Paper_07.pdf

Evaluating Clinical Performance (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey).
Links to several sites that provide material on evaluating clinical performance and competence, including assessment tools.  
http://cte.umdnj.edu/student_evaluation/evaluation_clinical.cfm

Strategies in Clinical Teaching (University of Kansas School of Medicine).
Eight mini-teaching modules that cover quick facts about various aspects of clinical teaching designed to help community-based faculty be more effective teachers.
http://wichita.kumc.edu/strategies/

Back to top