Handbooks, learning contracts, and senior house officers: a collaborative enterprise

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Continuing Professional Development

Background:

• Hospital-based education for senior house officers faces challenges.
• Clinical teachers often lack understanding of educational principles for training.
• Improving senior house officer (SHO) training requires addressing these educational gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an improved educational structure for senior house officers.
• To address the lack of understanding of educational principles among clinical teachers.
• To implement adult learning principles in SHO training.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a hospital-wide audit of education and training to identify problem areas.
• Developed a handbook for SHOs based on adult learning principles, including learning contracts and objectives.
• Created in-house videos to raise awareness among clinical teachers about educational issues.

Main Results:

• A structured educational framework and handbook were developed and implemented.
• In-house videos were utilized to educate clinical teachers on educational principles.
• Preliminary evaluations showed positive responses from both SHOs and consultants.

Conclusions:

• The developed educational structure and handbook show promise for enhancing SHO training.
• Addressing educational principles and utilizing adult learning strategies can improve medical training.
• Collaborative efforts between consultants and education specialists are effective in medical education reform.