A MODEL TO STRUCTURE STUDENT LEARNING IN AMBULATORY CARE SETTINGS

Providing students with an explicit framework for conducting patients' follow-up visits can ease students' transition into ambulatory care s ettings and enhance their learning. The authors describe a model that structures and defines students' tasks for a follow-up office visit, T he model gives priority to the organization of patient care issues, th e efficient use of patient and preceptor time, and the student's ident ification of a learning agenda for each patient encounter. In a rapidl y expanding man aged care world where physician and practice productiv ity are paramount, this model has the potential to enhance standardiza tion of learning across diverse clinical sites and to increase the cos t-effectiveness of teaching medical students in ambulatory settings. T he authors have introduced this model in a half-day orientation for a primary care clerkship. Initial feedback suggests that the model is us eful in preparing students to function more effectively in an ambulato ry care setting.