Teaching Methods: Clinical Teaching

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.

"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.
Link: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/occ1.html

"Five Microskills for Clinical Teaching," Kay Gordon and Barbara Meyer (Department of Family Medicine, 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.
Link: http://clerkship.fammed.washington.edu/teaching/Appendices/5Microskills.htm

"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.
Link: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7389/591

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.
Link: 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.
Link: http://www.idea.ksu.edu/resources/Papers.html