Teaching Fellow, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Medical Education Institute, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK, Email id: shalinigupta@nhs.net
Online published on 14 August, 2018.
Clinical practice is complex, and accurate performance by newly qualified doctors requires presence of habits of inquiry, critical thinking, innovation and improvement along with relevant knowledge and skills. The techniques described in this article relating to undergraduate medical teaching are simple and pragmatic measures that can help medical educators to foster these valuable habits in students to advance the practice of medicine and patient care. Measures aimed at individual teachers like strategies to develop adaptive expertise through challenging learners with unfamiliar tasks, mindful pacing, reduction in content load and reflective questioning, if implemented, would result in better preparation of medical undergraduates for their clinical role. Evidence-based implications of curricular reforms like framing explicit learning outcomes, introducing specific self-directed learning and assessment opportunities, and engaging learners in improvement programmes have been discussed. The tips introduce a multidimensional approach to improve the quality of medical education and advancing health care.
Medical education, Habits of mind, Inquiry, Critical thinking, Innovation, Improvement, undergraduate teaching
