Methods and Qualities of an Effective Teacher & Teaching Strategies
What is an effective clinical teacher?
An effective teacher gets learners interested in learning and developing their knowledge base. Four characteristics of an effective teacher are: involving the student in the learning process, communicating expectations, stimulating the student's interest in medicine and interacting skillfully with patients. So it is not necessary to have additional training to be an effective clinical teacher. Some of the best teachers do not have any formal education training.
Quick Tips:
- Be relaxed, & available
- Clearly communicate expectations
- Inspire students to Learn
Provide Feedback
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Possible Pitfalls:
- Trying to know it all
- Learning does not need to be formal, it occurs throughout the day
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How do I teach in an ambulatory care setting?
Ambulatory care in the office or in the Emergency Department is an ideal setting for case based teaching. This allows the natural workflow of the office or ER to provide daily teaching topics. Preceptors commonly use 3 different techniques:
- Case discussion - between patients
- Chart review - at the end of the day or during a break
- Direct observation
Case based teaching occurs regularly in ambulatory care, where discussions result from patient experiences and are limited by patient flow. Teaching in ambulatory care is meant to give learners experience with primary care. There are three ways of lea rning in ambulatory care: interacting with patients, chart review and observation of the preceptor. The one-minute preceptor method of teaching in ambulatory care incorporates all of the above methods.
What is the One Minute Preceptor?
The one-minute preceptor works by understanding that teaching in ambulatory care occurs in a very short period of time. Once the learner has presented his/her case there is little time for teaching. This method maximizes teaching during short periods of time.
Quick Tips:
- You can learn from your learner, if you don't know the answer, get the learner to find out
- Try to vary the types of patient cases a learner sees
- Remember the rate and rhythm of giving feedback
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Possible Pitfalls:
- Trying to teach on every chart. Only pick one or two interesting cases
- Trying to give feedback on too many items per interview.
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1. South New Hampshire Area Health Education Center Website: http://www.snhahec.org/preceptor_development/busy.htm
2. Irby DM, Ramsey PG, Gillmore GM, Schaad D. Characteristics of Effective Clinical Teachers of Ambulatory Care Medicine. Academic Medicine. 1991:66(1); 54-55
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