Consequences for medical education of problem-solving in science and medicine

The problem-solving process used by scientists and by clinicians is compared and contrasted. The most creative step for both groups is the ability to make an association between some external stimulus or situation and concepts stored in memory. Medical education must put more emphasis on teaching that improves students' abilities to make these associations. Two teaching methods that can promote development of the necessary association skills in clinical contexts--"wait time" and "concept mapping"--are briefly reviewed. Concept mapping consists of connecting words that represent concepts with lines that represent relationships and then labeling the lines. Wait time is waiting three to five seconds between asking a group of students a question and calling on a student to answer or waiting three to five seconds before responding to the student's answer.