A strategy for teaching and learning in the PBL clerkship

Abstract

There has been a move in many traditional medical schools to make the transition to a PBL curriculum. Much effort has centred on developing PBL strategies for use in the early years of the course. Few schools have successfully incorporated the principles into the later clerkship years. A model integrating structured teaching with the clerkship is presented to address the multiple learning needs in the clinical years of the PBL curriculum. Structured teaching is based on two complementary methods: SCORPIO sessions and the patient-based PBL tutorial. The former is a medium to teach clinical psycho-motor skills, while the latter is structured for students to learn clinical reasoning in the context of patient management. The preceptor plays a central role in the process, helping students integrate the structured learning experiences with clinical exposures in the hospital environment. The efficacy of the model is based on the theory that learning will be enhanced by Activation of prior knowledge, teaching in Context and subsequent student Elaboration (acronym ACE).