Physicians' perceptions of clinical teaching: a qualitative analysis in the context of change

Abstract

Background: Change is ubiquitous. Current trends in both educational and clinical settings bring new challenges to clinicians and have the potential to threaten the quality of clinical teaching.

Objective: To investigate hospital specialists' perceptions of clinical teaching in the context of change.

Design: Qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Three hospital trusts in the United Kingdom associated with a new medical school.

Participants: A purposive sample of 15 clinicians from each of the three participating hospitals was approached. A total of 13 participated in the in-depth interviews: three from hospital A, six from hospital B and four from hospital C.

Results: The two main themes of 'Characteristics of Good and Bad Teachers' and 'Clinical Teaching Approaches' emerged. These were underpinned by a number of sub-themes; including some seen by participants as potential barriers to teaching and learning, for example, organisational and personal issues.

Conclusions: Potential barriers to teaching and learning, including why good clinical teachers may at times seen to be intimidating or to cause humiliation and problems of engaging with new educational practices, can be understood within the context of change resistance. Knowing more about how clinical teachers think about their task as educators is essential and this should underpin staff development and training programmes.