Using families as faculty in teaching medical students family-centered care: what are students learning?

Teaching family-centered health care is an important facet of medical education. Families are increasingly being used as faculty to teach first-person family-centered care.

To elucidate what medical students are learning from their family visits.

Fifty-eight pediatric clerkship students at the University of Vermont College of Medicine completed a home visit with a family with a child with chronic disabilities. After the home visit, students were asked to complete a reflection paper. The content of these papers was analyzed for repeated themes. Two themes emerged: discussions of family issues (e.g., normalcy, challenges, community support) and physician issues (e.g., listening, parent support, knowledge of disease.)

Sixty-six percent of the students noted that family challenges, such as divorce or job hardships, were talked about by the families. The 2nd and 3rd most noted reflection themes were the strengths within family relationships and the normalcy of the family. Physician issues most often discussed included how physicians did or did not collaborate, listen, support, or communicate clearly with families.

Students are learning valuable lessons while talking with and learning from families. Families as faculty are educators for the conveyance of family-centered medical care.