A meeting of experts: the emerging roles of non-professionals in the education of health professionals

Abstract

Most academic programmes that prepare students for the health professions have a long history of involving patients in teaching and learning. Until recently such involvement has been largely passive, but the last 20 years have seen major growth in the number and diversity of educational initiatives in which patients play an active role as educators. This article describes how and why these changes have occurred, identifies some of the challenges of learning from those outside the academy Á and professions Á and explores some of the questions raised about the nature of 'professional' and 'lay' knowledge and expertise.

Communities of Practice and Situated Learning in Health Care

“…Yet, as pointed out by Bleakey and Blight (2008), despite the vivid rhetoric praising the benefits of a patient-centred approach to medical education, contemporary undergraduate curricula for medical students still lack a meaningful early access to patients and "incorporating deliberate practice" (95) that would allow learners to establish relationships with those they treat and, by doing so, engage in the process of joint knowledge construction via dialogue. From this point of view, case-specific experiential knowledge of patients and their families makes them valuable and valid contributors to the educational process who can not only communicate their first-hand experience, but also can raise awareness about their needs and initiate a sharing activity (Towle and Godolphin, 2011).…”

The patient ' s voice in health and social care professional education

“…Evidence of benefit is emerging but still patchy. The most wide-ranging and institutionally supported patient-aseducator initiatives are in the UK (Towle and Godolphin, 2011) where government commitment to the development of a "patient-led" National Health Service (House of Commons Health Committee, 2007) and, more recently, to the concept of co-production as an approach to the development of health and social services (Loeffler et al, 2013) has extended to policy directives in education. Thus, service user and carer involvement in education has become enshrined in the standards of the statutory bodies responsible for the accreditation of educational programs in nursing and midwifery (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010), 16 other health and social care professions (Health and Care Professions Council, 2014) and more recently, medicine (General Medical Council, 2016).…”

“Experts by Experience”: The Involvement of Service Users and Families in Designing and Implementing Innovations in Family Justice

“…Service user involvement in education can materialize in a broad range of educational activities, including the selection of students, teaching including assessment and providing feedback, and curriculum development (Unwin et al, ). It is acknowledged that it provides valuable opportunities for trainees to develop their communication skills, empathic understanding, and overall professional attitudes, including an individualized approach to the client/patient (Towle & Godolphin, ; Towle et al, ). In recognition of the importance of these issues, an international and multidisciplinary group gathered at the international conference “Where's the Patient's Voice in Health Professional Education?” in November 2015 developed a statement—consequently known as the “The Vancouver Statement” (Towle et al, )—setting specific priorities for action to embed the involvement of patients in the education of health and social care professionals internationally.…”