No such thing as a free lunch?

Background: High-quality, out-of-classroom interactions between students and teachers help to develop communities of learning. In medicine, they contribute to the professionalisation of students.

Methods: We designed a novel student-faculty member lunch scheme for first-year medical students at our institution. Students received a free lunch in groups of six with a faculty member 'hosting' and paying for lunch, with the cost reimbursed by the medical school. Focus groups with students were used to evaluate the impact of the intervention.

Results: Approximately half of all Year-1 students signed up for the scheme (n = 153). Twenty faculty members hosted one or more lunches. Focus group analysis revealed that attendees felt more positively about individual faculty members and the institution as a result of participation, and that it helped the process of induction and transition into medical school, but that it suffered from a lack of continuing contact. Out-of-classroom interactions between students and teachers help to develop communities of learning CONCLUSIONS: This intervention encouraged positive student-faculty member interactions, albeit with a relatively small group of students. It did not seem to encourage longitudinal staff-student relationships, however, which is a key limitation.