Use of student clinical partner dyads as a teaching strategy to facilitate learning

Collaborative learning has been used effectively in the classroom, but it is not well understood in the clinical setting. Student clinical partner (SCP) dyads were used as an intentional teaching method to foster teamwork, learning, and confidence. Students were assigned a patient and a student partner. SCP dyads were expected to provide complete care to their assigned patient, listen to report for their partner's patient, prioritize patient needs, participate in learning experiences for all assigned patients, and function as a team. Students (n = 26) compared their clinical rotation with SCP dyads to their clinical rotations without SCP dyads. The majority strongly agreed that SCP dyads had a positive impact on teamwork (74%), learning experiences (58%), and student clinical confidence (62%). Reflective journals stated that SCP dyads increased exposure to patient care activities, confidence in management, prioritization, teamwork, and time with the faculty.