[Role of practical work in education of physiology: nurturing scientific thinking]

Undergraduate education in health science professionals consists of lectures, drills, practical work, skill practice and experiments. Lectures constitute a significant portion of the curriculum, as they are the primary opportunity to introduce new fundamental knowledge and concepts to students. Drills, practical work, skill practice and experiments supplement the fundamental knowledge and concepts learned in lectures. Similar strategies are used in physiology education. Practical work in physiology education can be divided into two categories: one for deepening students' understanding of the fundamental knowledge and concepts covered in lectures, and the other for demonstrating the applicability of the fundamental knowledge to clinical practice. Practical work reinforces and deepens students' understanding of the knowledge gained in lectures, but due to time constraints, the number of topics covered in practical work is far fewer than those covered in lectures. Practical work cannot be an effective educational method if it simply supplements lectures; desirably, it should fulfill its own unique purpose independent of lectures. Health science professionals are expected to acquire fundamental skills in scientific thinking. Scientific thinking can be described as the ability to clearly distinguish between facts and opinions and to form opinions based on the facts through logical reasoning. Practical work provides the best and most unique method for cultivating scientific thinking. Practical work thus not only complements lectures, but also has distinct advantages over lectures. Practical work is an important educational method in not only reinforcing knowledge gained through lectures but also cultivating scientific thinking.