See the published version of this article at BMC Medical Education.
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Research article
The Development of Clinical Thinking in Physicians in Training: The Educator Perspective
RACHEL LOCKE
University of Winchester
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3300-4908
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published version at BMC Medical Education.
Background An important element of effective clinical practice is the way physicians ‘think’ when they encounter a clinical situation, with a significant number of physicians in training challenged by translating their learning into professional practice in the clinical setting. This research explores the perceptions of educators about how physicians in training develop their clinical thinking in clinical settings. It considers what educators and their colleagues did to help, as well as the nature of the ‘context’ in which they worked.
Method A qualitative approach was used in this study with in depth interviews carried out with educators as ‘key informants’. Rich data derived from fifteen interview transcripts were analysed thematically in a rigorous and iterative process.
Results Three broad and overlapping themes were identified: working in an educationally minded culture; proximity of the educator to the physician in training; and trajectory of the physician in training. The departments in which these educators worked emphasised the importance on the education of physicians in training. All members of the team were responsible for education of the team, and all members, particularly senior nurses, were able to give feedback upon the physicians’ in training progress. Educators described working side by side with their physician in training and frequently being in close proximity to them, which means that the educator was both easily accessible and spent more time with their physicians in training. They described a trajectory of the physicians in training through the placement with close monitoring and informal assessment throughout.
Conclusion Recommendations are made as to how physicians in training can be supported to develop their clinical thinking. Educators and managers can analysis their own and department’s practice and select the recommendations relevant to their local circumstances in order to make change. This study adds the educator perspective to a body of literature about the importance of context and supportive learning environments. As such the discussion is applicable to the education of other health professionals.
Keywords
Physicians in training, clinical thinking, medical education, supervision, medical educator
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CURRENT STATUS: Published
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Posted 17 Apr, 2020
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On 16 Jul, 2020
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Received 26 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Apr, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 21 Apr, 2020
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Subject Areas
Educational Philosophy and Theory
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Medical Education. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
The Development of Clinical Thinking in Physicians in Training: The Educator Perspective
RACHEL LOCKE
University of Winchester
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3300-4908
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Published
Version 1
Posted 17 Apr, 2020
Published
On 16 Jul, 2020
No community comments so far
Review #1 received
Received 26 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Apr, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 21 Apr, 2020
Editor assigned
On 14 Apr, 2020
First submitted
On 13 Apr, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 13 Apr, 2020
Editor invited
On 13 Apr, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Educational Philosophy and Theory
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published version at BMC Medical Education.
Background An important element of effective clinical practice is the way physicians ‘think’ when they encounter a clinical situation, with a significant number of physicians in training challenged by translating their learning into professional practice in the clinical setting. This research explores the perceptions of educators about how physicians in training develop their clinical thinking in clinical settings. It considers what educators and their colleagues did to help, as well as the nature of the ‘context’ in which they worked.
Method A qualitative approach was used in this study with in depth interviews carried out with educators as ‘key informants’. Rich data derived from fifteen interview transcripts were analysed thematically in a rigorous and iterative process.
Results Three broad and overlapping themes were identified: working in an educationally minded culture; proximity of the educator to the physician in training; and trajectory of the physician in training. The departments in which these educators worked emphasised the importance on the education of physicians in training. All members of the team were responsible for education of the team, and all members, particularly senior nurses, were able to give feedback upon the physicians’ in training progress. Educators described working side by side with their physician in training and frequently being in close proximity to them, which means that the educator was both easily accessible and spent more time with their physicians in training. They described a trajectory of the physicians in training through the placement with close monitoring and informal assessment throughout.
Conclusion Recommendations are made as to how physicians in training can be supported to develop their clinical thinking. Educators and managers can analysis their own and department’s practice and select the recommendations relevant to their local circumstances in order to make change. This study adds the educator perspective to a body of literature about the importance of context and supportive learning environments. As such the discussion is applicable to the education of other health professionals.
Figure 1