Improving pediatric problem-based learning sessions in undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Purpose Of Review: Problem-based learning (PBL) sessions have become common alternatives to traditional didactic-style sessions in medical education, including within pediatric education. The creation and execution of PBL sessions, however, can vary among institutions and even between educators at a given institution. Coupling the personal experiences of a recently-graduated medical student with that of a knowledgeable medical educator, the authors sought to analyze two PBL session experiences of the medical student during her second year with the goal of pinpointing specific elements that add value for both learners and facilitators.

Enhancing provider engagement in practice improvement: a conceptual framework.

Engaging individual members of clinical teams in practice improvement initiatives is a challenge. In this commentary, we first summarize evidence supporting enhanced practitioner engagement through the creation of a work environment that builds on mutually respectful relationships and valued interdependencies. We then propose a phased, collaborative process that employs practice talk, a term that describes naturally occurring, collegial conversations among members of clinical teams.

Physician communities of practice: where learning and practice are inseparable.

Physicians interact with peers and mentors to frame issues, brainstorm, validate and share information, make decisions, and create management protocols, all of which contribute to learning in practice. It is likely that working together in this way creates the best environment for learning that enhances professional practice and professional judgment. So convincing are the arguments for this view that management practices already are changing to foster the integration of learning and practice.