tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post1323058301220654667..comments2024-03-26T07:19:50.901+00:00Comments on Dr Grumble: Sherlock HolmesDr Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-67518280996267531192008-11-03T12:18:00.000+00:002008-11-03T12:18:00.000+00:00Re "These days they report back online on the qual...Re "These days they report back online on the quality of the teaching."<BR/><BR/>I am involved in this kind of activity<BR/><BR/>see http://reports.pmetb.org.uk <BR/><BR/>I read your blog with interest, as I'd like to be able to identify where good teaching occures. If you or others have suggestions for questions that would help with this. I'd be interested in hearing from them<BR/><BR/>daniel.smith@pmetb.org.uk<BR/>Daniel Smith Head of SurveysDaniel Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05697650403197837387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-28584739012459752162008-10-25T11:30:00.000+01:002008-10-25T11:30:00.000+01:00I am at one of the more "traditional" medical scho...I am at one of the more "traditional" medical schools, and even there, we have real difficulty getting taught.<BR/><BR/>I am in my first year of clinics (3/5 years) and admittedly my experiences have been skewed by starting out on a surgical firm - result being that I saw my consultant once a week in his clinic where I got some decent teaching, then spent the rest of my time following the FY1s around (the consultants and registrars all went off to theatre, the SHO was on nights most of the time), so essentially was taught most by people who were only 3 years older than me. I won't say it wasn't useful - they knew how to examine and clerk patients, and were patient enough to let me present to them ad nauseam, but when I had to get an assessment filled in by someone above SHO level you wouldn't believe the difficulty I had tracking someone down who was prepared to spend 10 minutes listening to me.<BR/><BR/>My experience is by no means uncommon - other rotations don't make you come in for ward rounds, some don't allow you to take blood, and one hospital won't let student stay past about 8pm (bad luck if you wanted to stay to watch a really interesting surgery),<BR/>but it is clear that a common theme is that registrars and consultants are not all that interested in teaching. I don't blame them at all - I can't imagine the pressure that they are under - they certainly work hard to make up for lack of staff.<BR/><BR/>This has been a pretty rambling post, and I guess the core argument I'm trying to make is that we need clinicians who are up to date and competent, but who also have the time and energy to teach students. Perhaps the creation of a half-half clinician and teacher post would solve some of these problems?<BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing this blog, Dr. Grumble - your students are very lucky to be taught by you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-32611142159497851992008-10-25T10:41:00.000+01:002008-10-25T10:41:00.000+01:00When I trained (only graduated this year, mind) we...When I trained (only graduated this year, mind) we had very little, if any, "traditional" bedside and small-group teaching. When it did occur, it was by far the most valuable and informative education I had.<BR/><BR/>Sadly, teaching ward rounds and taught examination at the bedside seem to have been replaced, at least in some places, with large lectures (even in the clinical years) with fewer (or no) questions to the students, and a shift from the gaining of knowledge to the production of essays and reflective nonsense which do not teach you anything about the practical conduct of medicine.<BR/><BR/>I will not name the medical school involved, but I have calculated that I produced 25-30,000 words of essays and "reflection" in my busiest clinical year. Having handed everything in, I then crammed for my written finals and passed, with a B, after a week's study! I'm not sure that the latter should be achieveable for someone like me, who, was a pretty average medical student, and wonder if the exams have been dumbed down to compensate for the reduction in teaching.<BR/><BR/>I think that there has been a shift away from the acquisition of knowledge and practical experience to the thinking that it can all be learnt from books and writing, and I feel that I am worse off as a doctor because of it - I now work as an FY1 with an average graduate from a more traditional medical school and, at least to me, the gap in knowledge and in thinking the right way is clearly noticeable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com