Teaching Practice-Based Learning on Inpatient Psychiatric Services

Psychiatry residents must learn to incorporate new information into clinical practice as the field quickly evolves. The authors developed a practice-based workshop grounded in active learning principles on the inpatient psychiatric unit.

Residents rotating on inpatient services observed a patient interview, then brainstormed learner-driven learning objectives. They each independently researched selected topics, then utilized peer instruction and discussion grounded in the clinical case. Topic areas covered over a year were tracked and residents' experiences were surveyed.

The material covered included evidence-based treatments, neuroscience, cultural, and systems psychiatry. Residents rated the workshop as highly effective and engaging (91% and 96%, respectively, on Likert Scale) and positively on the Tutorial Group Effectiveness Instrument (3.8 ± 0.6 for cognitive aspects, 3.2 ± 0.7 for motivational aspects, and 2.7 ± 0.6 for demotivational aspects).

This case-based and learner-driven peer teaching model based on an active learning model allows for quick integration of new material into the curriculum with resident satisfaction.