Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 83. Taylor DCM, Hamdy H. Med Teach. 2013; 35:e1561-e1572.
Available online from the Baystate Health Sciences Library or from PubMed at your institution.
For all the work you, as clinical teachers, do for your patients, your students, and your colleagues, it's nice to know that there are awesome resources just for you, isn't it? What? No. I'm not talking about this blog. This blog is for me. See, I'm talking about something much more serious - the AMEE Guides.
Who's AMEE? All you need to know about AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) is that they are an international group of powerhouse brains in medical education that hold their annual conference in places like Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czech Republic; and Milan, Italy. Their membership represents some 90 countries and many of the top dogs of medical education research.
Not impressed yet? Fine, well how about some of the workshops that were offered at their most recent gathering:
Through the eyes of experts: What do "rich pictures" add to the understanding of surgical judgment?
The elephant in the room: Benchmarking the assessment of clinical competence
Influence of music on the teaching, learning processes in medical students
And my personal favorite:
Where is the line between sloppy and scientifically irresponsible? A discussion to promote excellence in medical education research
AMEE is no joke. And, for those of us who can't quite make it to Milan, Italy, to learn about effective feedback and music and elephants, at least we can benefit from the work of this powerhouse organization while on break, right in the comfort of our very own Danskos: we can read the AMEE Guides.
AMEE Guides provide "information, practical guidance, and support." They are written for teachers and staff, and while AMEE is a group focused on medical education, their principles extend well into all health professions. Think of them like maps specifically designed for all of us teachers.
And the best part? There's all kinds. Top rate information, packed into a delicious, short paper, and available online. And in this format, AMEE teaches us about scholarship, teaching, feedback, research, learning theories, etc. Hungry for more? Chances are, there's a map for that, too.
Bottom Line:
Health professions education can be an overwhelming gig. Good to know that AMEE's got your back. Use the AMEE Guides like maps towards best practice. And advance your role as a teacher toward success.
Looking back to the future: A message for a new generation of medical educators. Harden RM. Med Educ. 2011; 45:777-784.
Available online from the Baystate Health Sciences Library or from PubMed at your institution.
Ah, July... A new crop of students or residents for many of us educators and, even if your academic year is different, July is a fantastic time to make professional resolutions. You might remember I tried to encroach on your resolutions last year, and I enjoyed invading your personal goal-setting so much, that I decided to make it an annual event.
SO, that brings me to Ronald Harden. Harden brings us "back to the future" in this article by reflecting on his career in medical education in order to offer his list of Lessons Learned.
I know it's tempting, but try NOT to jump straight to the Lessons Learned. "But, Rebecca!" you'll say, "It's a list with short paragraphs and bolded headings!" I know, I know. But trust me when I pull out my inner qualitative researcher to tell you that "context matters." Read where he has been to recognize the value in his words.
And the value is great. Harden was an endocrinologist in Glasgow when he started as junior doctor. His passion for medical education grew and his perception of the influence of his colleagues, students, and his environment are palpable. His reflection is part medical education history, part UK medical education yearbook, and part graduation speech, balancing a determination to improve education with the good fortune to be in a position to do it.
But let's be honest. The Lessons Learned in this article are what you're going to read on the elevator.
And here's where your resolutions will evolve. Take heed that you, as a clinical educator, regardless of your profession, can be just a bit more awesome than you already are by reflecting on what Harden's lessons mean for you. Innovation. Nudges. Practicality. Collaborators. Funding. Publishing. Fun. These are not a menu of choices for educators: they are priorities for success. Make a resolution for each of these. For example.
Lesson 3: Nudges are important. What small, powerful innovation can you promote in your area?
Lesson 6: There is always something to learn outside of your practice. Too true. Go to a lecture or talk that is NOT given by your profession or your department. Crash someone else's grand rounds.
Lesson 10: Have fun! Well, I do not condone this one, BUT if you must enjoy what you do, take your work, not yourself, very seriously.
Ron Harden has a successful, international career based on advancing medical education. He's been senior editor of journals, keynote speaker at international conferences, and has held several leadership roles professionally. But Ron Harden started one July, many years ago, as a junior clinician. Like you.
So Happy New Year! Read this article and make some resolutions for your own career. Then write about your path, and I'll link to it. Promise.
Bottom Line:
It's the New Year for someone right now, which means resolutions are ripe for the making. Grab a glass of champagne, your educational enthusiasm, and this article by Ron Harden. Then set some resolutions to make yourself a better teacher, a better scholar, a better clinician. Your students and your patients will benefit.
The expert patient as teacher: an interprofessional Health Mentors programme. Towle A, Brown H, Hofley C, Kerton RP, Lyons H, Walsh C. Clin Teach. 2014; 11:301-306.
Available online from the Baystate Health Sciences Library or from PubMed at your institution.
Attending professional conferences is a great way to get inspired. Agendas are usually filled with a gluttonous amount of great ideas and innovations that I end up consuming ferociously for my practice.
Hm.
Disturbing visual image aside, conferences are equal parts overwhelming and rejuvenating, yet since we're months away from conference season, I thought this article - which reads like a conference-bound, broad-sweeping, well-rehearsed oral presentation of an innovation - might similarly inspire us in the "off season" (and from the comfort of our own living room couches).
The authors present an innovative program in which patients are mentors for a small, inter-professional group of students. Is it novel that patients teach students how to care for patients? Not necessarily.
But driving the innovation of this program are some considerations of program development that I have repurposed in the hopes that they inspire you.
1. Reflection. Whether you view it as the icing on the cake or the cake itself, reflection is a key part of learning. Journaling and debriefing encourage both students and mentors to pause and draw meaning from their experiences and discussions. Anyone who has ever journaled or read the journal entries of others can attest to the power of reflective practice on learning.
2. Demand creativity. Students in this program are asked to cap off two-semesters of conversations not with a test or an essay but with a "tweet" and a "creative, visual representation of their learning." Remember that pesky leveling of learning objectives? "Creative" exercises are up there with synthesizing new knowledge. Not a bad way to "test" the material...
3. Data, data, data. Note the ways that the program facilitators gather data and review it for program effectiveness. Facilitators here are keyed in to the qualities that make this program work and are diligently monitoring the program to see if it meets goals, using both quantitative and qualitative data. In fact, I would argue that they could probably stand to collect some more quantitative data on students' development of competencies. I said it. But (and here's the confusing part), see #4...
4. Think hard before overthinking it. In their reflections and advice to other programs, the authors write; "Minimal instructions: keep it simple, trust the process, and resist demands for more structure and instructions." Who doesn't love more structure? Their sentiment is helpful, though, that while you're collecting all of this great data, pause before you act too aggressively on it. (Just don't ask me how to do that.)
Bottom Line:
Let this article infuse you with the inspiration that normally only comes from the burnt coffee and beige hotel chairs at your professional conference. Their innovation is interesting, but the real reason to break out the highlighter is the advice around their program development; a true boost of professional development without that pesky name tag.
