Techne or Artful Science and the Genre of Case Presentations in Healthcare Settings

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative study that investigated the role of case presentations in the socialization of medical and optometry students. Using the debate from classical rhetoric around the term techne (art or science), we observed that genre theory helps explain the way case presentations mediate the development of professional identity through the interaction of certain knowledge (techne 1), “savvy” knowledge (techne 2), and ethical reflection (phronesis). We noted that these mediated scenes of learning are necessary but problematic because they can lead students to yearn for certainty and to exclude outsiders (other healthcare providers, patients). Finally, our research challenges the binary opposition that exists between art and science especially for professions that bring their disciplinary knowledge into practice.

Keywords:

• Genre
• Techne
• Medicine
• Optometry
• Education

Notes

Catherine F. Schryer (Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, University of Louisville) is Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo. Lorelei Lingard (Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Rhetoric, Simon Fraser University) is Associate Professor cross appointed at the Department of Paediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto. Marlee M. Spafford (Ph.D. in Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) is Associate Professor in the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo. The research for this paper is derived from an interdisciplinary project entitled “Creating the Healthcare Professional: The Role of Situated Language Practices in Clinical Education Settings.” This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant # 410-2000-1147).

[1] The research for this paper was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant #410-001147). We gratefully acknowledge their support as well as the co-operation of the medical hospital and optometric clinic that we studied. Several graduate students participated in the projects as research assistants. Many thanks are owed to Tracy Mitchell-Ashley, Kim Garwood, Lara Varpio, and Karl Wierzbicki.

[2] Following McComiskey (2002), we do not claim authority as classical historians, especially since we do not read Greek. This study is in the tradition of “rational reconstruction” (p. 10), an attempt to capture some interesting insights from the research on the classical period and bring them to the attention of healthcare practitioners and researchers in healthcare and professional communication.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marlee M Spafford

Catherine F. Schryer (Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, University of Louisville) is Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo. Lorelei Lingard (Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Rhetoric, Simon Fraser University) is Associate Professor cross appointed at the Department of Paediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto. Marlee M. Spafford (Ph.D. in Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) is Associate Professor in the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo. The research for this paper is derived from an interdisciplinary project entitled “Creating the Healthcare Professional: The Role of Situated Language Practices in Clinical Education Settings.” This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant # 410-2000-1147).