Minimal supervision out-patient clinical teaching

Minimal faculty member supervision of students refers to a method of instruction in which the patient-student encounter is not directly supervised by a faculty member, and presents a feasible solution in clinical teaching. It is unclear, however, how such practices are perceived by patients and how they affect student learning.

We aimed to assess patient and medical student perceptions of clinical teaching with minimal faculty member supervision. Questionnaires focusing on the perception of students' performance were administered to patients pre- and post-consultation. Students' self-perceptions on their performance were obtained using a questionnaire at the end of the consultation.

Before encounters with students, 22 per cent of the 95 patients were not sure if they would feel comfortable or trust the students; after the consultation, almost all felt comfortable (97%) and relied on the students (99%). The 81 students surveyed agreed that instruction with minimal faculty member supervision encouraged their participation and engagement (86%). They expressed interest in knowing patients' opinions about their performance (94%), and they felt comfortable about being assessed by the patients (86%).

The minimal faculty member supervision model was well accepted by patients. Responses from the final-year students support the use of assessments that incorporate feedback from patients in their overall clinical evaluations.