A novel approach to teaching pharmacotherapeutics—feasibility of the learner-centered student-run clinic

Abstract

ᅟMedical students should be better prepared for their future role as prescribers. A new educational concept to achieve this is learning by doing. This encompasses legitimate, context-based training and gives students responsibility as early as possible in their medical education. Student-run clinics (SRCs) are an example of this concept.AimDescribe the development of a new SRC for insured patients, primarily focused on medical (pharmacotherapy) education, the learner-centered student-run clinic (LC-SRC), and its feasibility.MethodsTeams each comprising of three students (first, third, and fifth year) performed consultations including proposing management plans, all under the supervision of an internist. Patients were voluntary selected from the internal medicine outpatient clinic for follow-up in the LC-SRC. Feasibility was evaluated using a set of questionnaires for patients, supervisors, and students.ResultsIn total, 31 consultations were conducted; 31 students and 4 clinical specialists participated. A pharmacotherapeutic treatment plan was drawn up in 33 % of the consultations. Patients were content with the care provided and rated the consultation with a 7.9 (SD 1.21) (1(min)-10(max)). Supervisors regarded LC-SRC safe for patients with guaranteed quality of care. They found the LC-SRC a valuable tool in medical education although it was time-consuming. Students appreciated their (new) responsibility for patient care and considered the LC-SRC a very valuable extracurricular activity.DiscussionThe LC-SRC is feasible, and all participants considered it to be a valuable educational activity. It offers students the opportunity to learn in a real interprofessional and longitudinal setting for their future role as prescriber in clinical practice. The benefits and learner effects need to be investigated in a larger study with a longer follow-up.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00228-015-1916-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Do final‐year medical students have sufficient prescribing competencies? A systematic literature review

“…To develop evidence‐based CPT education, further studies of educational interventions with Kirkpatrick's highest level of outcome are needed, preferably with a multicentre design, a large number of participants and a long follow‐up. Student‐run clinics may be useful for this purpose as they offer students early prescribing experience, with real responsibility for patient care under the supervision of a senior clinician 99.…”

Motivation and competence of participants in a learner-centered student-run clinic: an exploratory pilot study

“…This study was performed within the extracurricular LC-SRC project of the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam [8, 9]. The LC-SRC project for 1 st to 6 th year students focuses on early clinical experience with responsibility for real patients.…”

“…Compared to regular clerkships, students are in the lead in the LC-SRC, they are the principal contacts for “their” patients, and are responsible for patient care including follow up. A key feature of this patient care is the proposition of a reasoned and customized (pharmacotherapy) treatment plan [9]. …”

“…Based on this concept, a Learner-Centered Student-run Clinic (LC-SRC) was started at the VUmc School of Medical Sciences in 2013 [8, 9]. The LC-SRC is a learner-centered project, as opposed to regular SRCs that primarily focus on providing (free) care [7].…”

“…In the LC-SRC students get the opportunity to train themselves in complex competencies such as patient communication, therapeutic reasoning, and prescribing in a real context. The LC-SRC concept and development is based on the conceptual framework of learning by doing, as an example within the more general experiential learning theory by Kolb [7, 9, 10]. Besides the experience itself, its timing and the attending responsibilities of the clinical experience are important.…”