THE ROLES OF EXPERIENCE AND REFLECTION IN AMBULATORY CARE EDUCATION

While ambulatory care education typically does not provide much direct instruction, supervision, or feedback, experiential learning occurs. Using experiential learning theory, the authors describe how this proc ess of learning works. The process is characterized by a cycle of havi ng a concrete experience (e.g., an encounter with a patient), reflecti ng on that experience as it unfolds, formulating conceptualizations an d generalizations from the experience, and testing those generalizatio ns and concepts in other situations. With this model in mind, the auth ors make four recommendations for improving ambulatory care education for both medical students and residents: (1) plan for experiences in c arefully selected ambulatory care settings; (2) facilitate reflective observation; (3) encourage conceptual thinking and inquiry; and (4) pr omote feedback and testing of insights from experiences. The authors d iscuss the rationale behind each recommendation and offer guidelines f or how each might be implemented.