Beyond mistreatment: Learner neglect in the clinical teaching environment.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Graduate Medical Education
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Medical student mistreatment negatively impacts learning, causing burnout and attrition.
• Existing efforts focus on eradicating mistreatment, but a broader spectrum of negative behaviors exists.
• These behaviors, distinct from mistreatment, can hinder learner development within clinical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and define the concept of 'learner neglect' in medical education.
• To differentiate learner neglect from mistreatment and illustrate its presence in clinical teaching.
• To explore potential impacts, prevalence, and solutions for learner neglect.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual article proposing a new framework for understanding supervisory behaviors.
• Illustration of learner neglect through examples of optimal and suboptimal teaching behaviors.
• Hypothesizing impacts and contributors to learner neglect in medical training.

Main Results:

• Learner neglect encompasses a range of intentional or unintentional supervisory behaviors that impede learner potential.
• These behaviors may overlap with mistreatment but do not always meet its definition.
• Examples of both intentional and unintentional learner neglect are provided within the clinical education context.

Conclusions:

• Learner neglect represents a significant, yet often unrecognized, challenge in medical education.
• Further research and stakeholder consideration are needed to identify, study, and mitigate learner neglect.
• Addressing learner neglect is essential for optimizing the learning environment and supporting medical trainees.