University of Washington Family Medicine ARTE Module

The Challenges of Teaching and Learning the Process of Care

Students tell us they sometimes have difficulty in seeing and making sense of what they observe when working with their faculty preceptors. This is particularly true with the higher-level skills and knowledge of the experienced family physician. Students learn best when the teacher explains what is going on in his or her head. Probing student questions help highlight the areas where this extra articulation is needed.

Teachers often have difficulty explaining how or why they do what they do, especially when they do their best work. Research shows that even the doctors recognized by their colleagues, as having the best doctor-patient skills often cannot explain what it is that they do so well.

Sometimes these aspects of practice are called:

• The Art of Medicine
• Clinical decision-making
• Bedside manner
• Patient management
• “Clinical Jazz”

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