Planning peer assisted learning (PAL) activities in clinical schools

Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is well accepted as an educational method within health professional education, involving a process of socialisation among students. PAL activities provide a framework whereby students are permitted to practice and develop their healthcare and teaching skills. However, the success of PAL activities is dependent upon two key factors: the "agency" of the individual students, that is, their willingness to participate; and importantly, the "affordance" of the activity, that is, the invitational quality provided by the clinical school. The purpose of this paper is to assist healthcare educators and administrators responsible for curriculum design, course co-ordination, and educational research, in developing their own PAL activities. Health professional students and junior health professionals leading or participating in PAL activities may also find the paper useful. Based on the authors' collective experience, and relevant literature, we provide practical tips for the design, implementation and evaluation of PAL activities.