Identifying the exceptional learner in medical education: A doing vs. being framework

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand what is known about the high performing or exceptional learner in medical education. There is a rich literature about learners in difficulty, yet little is known about those performing at the high end, also known as exceptional learners.

Methods

A qualitative study was undertaken whereby 15 faculty members at the University of Toronto were interviewed to explore their experiences with these learners.

Results

Based on the findings, we developed a framework to categorize characteristics of exceptional learners by differentiating them as either ‘Being’ (a pre-existing attribute or set of values that the learner possesses from the start of training) or ‘Doing’ (demonstrable characteristics that can be observed or measured). Using this framework, we identified five characteristics in the category of ‘Being’, five in the category of ‘Doing’, and two that could be situated in either or both.

Conclusion

Utilizing this framework to describe exceptional learners will aid teachers in identifying them early in their training so that their training experience can be enhanced. This novel approach contributes to our knowledge of the exceptional medical learner. The optimization of the training experience will maximize the opportunity to ensure that these learners reach their full potential to contribute to the healthcare system.

Keywords:

• Medical education
• exceptional learner
• faculty development
• medical learner

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants as this work would not be possible without the thoughtful insights of the faculty who were interviewed for this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by an Art of the Possible Grant through the Office of Educational Scholarship at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto.

Notes on contributors

Gurpreet Mand

Gurpreet Mand, MBBS, CCFP, FCFP, MScCH, is a community family physician and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is currently the Faculty Development Lead at the Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit at Humber River Health. She also serves as the Continuous Quality Lead for the postgraduate program at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. She received a Master of Science in Community Health and is interested in medical education research and faculty development.

Monica Nijhawan

Dr. Monica Nijhawan, MD, CCFP, MScCH, FCFP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a Family Physician who is faculty at one of the Family Medicine Post-graduate teaching units. She has held numerous leadership roles within the Academic Program and has an interest in Education Scholarship. She received her Master in Science in Community Health, Health Practitioner Teacher Educator, from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her current scholarly interests include Interprofessional Education and how to identify and improve the educational experience for exceptional learners.

Oshan Fernando

Oshan Fernando, PhD, is research associate, Office of Education Scholarship, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Risa Freeman

Dr. Risa Freeman, MD, CCFP, MEd, FCFP, is the Vice Chair of Education and Scholarship in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She is a community-based family physician affiliated with North York General Hospital and holds a cross appointment in the School of Graduate Studies, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Division of Clinical Public Health, and membership as a Clinician Educator Researcher at The Wilson Centre. In all these roles, she enjoys working with learners from across the continuum of medical and interprofessional education. Dr. Freeman’s academic work in medical education focuses on adopting and promoting scholarly change in curriculum innovation, learning strategies, evaluation, faculty development and leadership. She is a mixed method researcher in health professions education and has a strong track record of leading, mentoring, and supervising research projects for medical students, residents, graduate students, and faculty members. Dr. Freeman has held numerous academic and leadership roles at the University of Toronto and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She began her term as Vice-Chair of Education and Scholarship in 2015.

Allyson Merbaum

Allyson Merbaum, MD, CCFP, FCFP, is a community family physician practicing in Toronto, Canada, and is an active teacher and the Resident Research Lead at North York General Hospital. She is an Associate Professor and the Faculty Development Program Director in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.