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| Research article summary (published 30 Mar 2003): |
Whither bedside teaching? A focus-group study of clinical teachers.
Full Abstract
PURPOSE:
Previous reports document diminishing time spent on bedside teaching, with a shift towards conference rooms and corridors. This study explored faculty's perceptions of the barriers to and their strategies for increasing and improving bedside teaching.
METHOD:
Four focus groups consisting of (1) chief residents, (2) residency program directors, (3) skilled bedside teachers, and (4) a convenience group of other Department of Medicine faculty from the Boston University School of Medicine's affiliated hospitals were held in May 1998. Each session lasted 60-90 minutes. Sessions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods.
RESULTS:
The most significant barriers reported were (1) declining bedside teaching skills; (2) the aura of bedside teaching, a belief that bedside teachers should possess an almost unattainable level of diagnostic skill that creates intense performance pressure; (3) that teaching is not valued; and (4) erosion of teaching ethic. Focus-group participants suggested the following strategies for addressing these barriers:
improve bedside teaching skills through faculty training in clinical skills and teaching methods; reassure clinical faculty that they possess more than adequate bedside skills to educate trainees; establish a learning climate that allows teachers to admit their limitations; and address the undervaluing of teaching on a department level with adequate recognition and rewards for teaching efforts. Skilled teachers, in particular, stated that a bedside teaching ethic could be reestablished by emphasizing its importance and challenging learners to think clinically.
CONCLUSIONS:
Bedside teaching is regarded as valuable. Some barriers may be overcome by setting realistic faculty expectations, providing incentives for teaching faculty, and establishing ongoing faculty development programs.
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Author information
Author/s: Ramani, Subha (S); Orlander, Jay D (JD); Strunin, Lee (L); Barber, Thomas W (TW);
Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, MA 02118, USA. sramani@bu.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article
Journal: Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges (Acad Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2003-Apr; vol 78 (issue 4) : pp 384-90
Dates: Created 2003/04/14; Completed 2003/05/07; Revised 2004/11/17;
PMID: 12691971, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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