Clinical education in the ambulatory care setting

New training initiatives in ambulatory medicine are being developed in medical schools and residency training programs due to the need to expand education in ambulatory medicine. Most diagnostic and management decisions are being made in outpatient settings. In this context the perception of what constitutes effective teaching in the ambulatory setting needs to be addressed. The skills of questioning, role modeling, emphasizing general principles, and concept comprehension are similar in both inpatient teaching and outpatient teaching. The approach to problem solving, site of teaching, and provision of feedback may differ from inpatient teaching.