Resources for clinical learning environment orientation

Figures & data

Table 1. Question themes and strategies to guide orientation

Questions	Theme descriptions	Orientation approaches
Why am I here?	Learners identify educational goals and opportunities, and the rationale behind the structure of the clinical service	Use probing questions to explore learner interests and goals Have learners write goals and share them with team members
Who is the team?	Team members, roles, and relationships	Introduce team members and have them explain their roles Post pictures of staff members and roles on the wall and/or include in orientation materials Provide an overview of the patient population served
What do I do? What are my expectations, needs, and limits?	Learner roles, expectations, limits and situational factors, tools, and resources related to their responsibilities	Describe learners’ responsibilities and educational opportunities Emphasize the importance of recognizing limits and asking questions Give examples of situations that may require asking for help and how to reach out for help Describe the approach to assessment of the learner
Where are things?	Location of patients and resources in the physical workplace as well as data and information in virtual space	Create a map of the clinical learning environment Review a patient chart in the electronic medical record with the learner Give an overview of electronic or hard copy resources and policies
When do things happen?	Clinical and educational schedules	Create a schedule or calendar Develop workflow diagrams for common patient care processes Include time for mutual feedback
How do I navigate patient care and learning?	Navigating the healthcare system, patient safety, learning, and continuous improvement	Share tips of how to get things done Deliver tutorials for specific clinical skills Discuss integration of work responsibilities and learning