Strengthening workplace learning in medical and health profession education: Medical educators' perspective

Abstract

The profession of medicine is a challenging one considering the pace with which medical knowledge continues to expand on a daily basis. The purpose of the current review was to explore the significance of workplace learning from the perspective of different stakeholders. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out on the PubMed and Google Scholar search engines, and a total of 26 articles were selected based on their suitability with the current review objectives. Keywords used in the search include workplace learning and medical education in the title alone only. The workplace offers an opportunity for medical students to apply their acquired knowledge and participate in the process of patient care. Workplace learning gives a platform for medical students to not only participate in patient care but also gradually move forward on the path to becoming an effective member of the health workforce. We must realize that it is not only the students who derive benefits from workplace learning but also the teachers who can optimize their teaching and facilitation skills. To conclude, acknowledging the scope and merits attributed to workplace learning for different stakeholders, there is a definitive need to strengthen the overall process. Medical teachers have a crucial role to play in the strengthening and reinforcement of workplace learning in different contexts, and thus, they should be supported in their task to eventually improve the quality of medical doctors that we are producing.

Keywords

• feedback
• reflection
• workplace learning