The DOI matches its Crossref record; 94 of the 97 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The rotational approach to medical education: time to confront our assumptions?
Abstract
Medical Education 2011: 45 : 69–80 Context Trainees in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education engage in multiple transitions as part of the educational process, including many transitions that occur on both periodic and daily bases within medical education programmes. The clinical rotation, based on either a medical discipline or clinical care setting and occurring over a predetermined, short period of time, is a deeply entrenched educational approach with its roots in Abraham Flexner’s seminal report. Many assumptions about the presumed benefits of clinical rotations have become pervasive despite a lack of empirical evidence on their optimal timing and structure, and on how transitions between clinical rotations should occur. Methods In this paper, we examine the issue of rotational transitions from the three perspectives of sociology, learning theory, and the improvement of quality and safety. Results Discussion from the sociological perspective addresses the need for much greater attention to interprofessional relationships and professional development, whereas that from the learning theory perspective examines the gap between what is known from pedagogical and cognitive science and what is currently practised (learning theory). Discussion from the perspective of improving quality and safety refers to the critical need to embed trainees in functional clinical microsystems as meaningful participants. Conclusions Research is urgently needed on the effects of transitions on trainees, faculty staff, non‐doctor health care providers and patients in order to optimise future competency‐based training models and confirm or refute current assumptions.
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“Collectively, these activities are best achieved through longitudinal relationships with faculty who assimilate various sources of information (e.g., direct observation, multisource feedback) and provide customized appraisal and feedback, facilitating an exploration to identify improvement areas [13–20].”
In the citing paper
“Ideally, direct observation would be performed by supervisors in clinical settings, but as has been previously identified, residents’ interactions with faculty supervisors are often fragmented in rotations, limiting sustained working relationships that allow for customized improvement of clinical skills [14,15].”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Holmboe, E., Ginsburg, S., & Bernabeo, E.
- Affiliations
- American Board of Internal Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Holmboe, Eric
- Venue
- Medical Education
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-12-14
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 69-80
- ISSN
- 0308-0110 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2923
- OpenAlex
- W1602196365
- Semantic Scholar
- 480b3d7bd63f03c8d6c4c41ced709e3e9dbbd883
- Cited by
- 154
- References
- 97
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 6.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Medical Education (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Innovations in Medical Education
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Leadership and Management › Hospital Admissions and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Medical Education
- Keywords
- clinical rotations, rotational transitions, undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, interprofessional relations, professional development, learning theory, cognitive science, quality and safety, clinical microsystems, competency-based training, trainee experiences
- MeSH terms
- Competency-Based Education, Education, Medical, Graduate, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Humans, Students, Medical
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