Teaching in the Inpatient Setting: TEACHING / LEARNING DURING POST-CALL ROUNDS

Things To Do:

• Establish and maintain a respectful, nurturing learning environment.
  
  
• Allow presenter to proceed without undue interruptions.
  
  
• Negotiate/set limited learning objectives, geared to the level of the learner(s).
  
  
• Use questions to assess understanding and to stimulate/challenge learners (avoid "pimping"). For example:
  • "What do you think is going on?"
  • "What's for and what's against?"
  • "What do you want to do?"
    
    
• Whenever possible, use "hard data" (e.g., EKG strip) to make teaching points less abstract, more concrete.
  
  
• Avoid tangential mini-lectures.
  
  
• Be "time conscious"--i.e., respectful of learners' time.
  
  
• Avoid "taking over" the case.
  
  
• Engage the entire group.
  
  
• Role model clinical reasoning and professional behavior.
  
  
• Use articles, handouts to clarify previously raised questions (evidence-based approach).
  
  
• Provide timely, constructive feedback.

©Teacher & Educational Development,
University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2002