Introduction
Methods
Results
Themes | Student responses |
---|---|
(1) What do you think about training in pairs of two?
| |
Initial versus further training | ‘I would not like to be two every time—only in the beginning’ |
‘Reasonable to have someone as a sparring partner the first times’ | |
‘Helped breaking the ice’ | |
‘Good way to break the first consultations—a mix would be perfect’ | |
‘Important that you try both being alone and together’ | |
‘Good idea the first few times’ | |
Social dynamics | ‘Learning outcome depends on the chemistry and levels between partners…’ |
Observation | ‘Observing another student managing the patient encounter was very helpful’ |
‘Good to observe during patient encounter and to talk about it afterwards’ | |
‘You see what works and what seems awkward’ | |
‘Possibility of observation under peaceful conditions’ | |
‘It was difficult to interrupt and then it really does not matter’ | |
‘It was lovely to be able to have someone observe you while being able to have someone to discuss the case with later on’ | |
‘Exciting to watch fellow students and really good to have opportunity to be reminded of what you don’t remember yourself’ | |
‘Helpful to have someone to observe and someone to observe you’ | |
‘You learn something from seeing the other managing the examination—that way you figure things out in the situation’ | |
‘In the situation my performance becomes weaker because I become stressed by someone else observing me. This is only the first time—you become better in the following encounters because you have learned from your partner’ | |
‘Helpful to observe another person perform the examination’ | |
‘Helpful to learning to observe another person’ | |
Confidence | ‘It felt safe to be two to begin with’ |
‘It was nice and comforting not to be alone’ | |
‘It made the first few encounters less awkward ‘ | |
‘Provided some confidence’ | |
‘You feel less insecure in the beginning’ | |
‘Dyad training made it more safe in the beginning’ | |
‘Cool to have this kind of back-up’ | |
Feedback | ‘It was nice to have feedback immediately after finishing the encounter’ |
‘Good to provide each other with missing information’ | |
‘It was good to discuss findings and missing information in pairs after each encounter’ | |
‘Nice to support each other with the things you forget’ | |
‘Possibility of supplementing each other’ | |
‘Good to have someone to discuss with during and after the encounter’ | |
‘Helpful to have someone to remember the things you forgot’ | |
‘Feedback is an advantage, although your partner is just as new as you are’ | |
‘Comforting and interesting to get advice from a peer’ | |
Learning | ‘You learn better when you had someone to talk to’ |
(2) Which benefits for learning did dyad training provide?
| |
Confidence/social security | ‘Support each other’ |
‘Less insecurity and just pleasant’ | |
‘Safeness in the learning process’ | |
‘Potential insecurity is removed when working in pairs’ | |
‘It removes some of the first-time insecurity when you have someone with you carrying a check-list’ | |
‘Beneficial social effects—everything is more manageable when you are not alone the first time’ | |
‘No insecurity, if that should be a problem’ | |
‘Safety’ | |
Reflection | ‘The option to discuss patients and […] to evaluate diagnoses’ |
‘If you are ‘on’ it is difficult to think about what you are doing’ | |
‘You learn things faster as you become more aware of your own mistakes and of things you forgot to ask’ | |
‘By observing you free capacity to think about what to do better’ | |
‘Allows opportunity for more in depth history taking and physical examination’ | |
‘Able to supplement each other and discuss diagnoses and complications’ | |
‘You learn much from each other’s mistakes’ | |
‘I get inspired with new ideas about how and what questions to ask’ | |
Feedback | ‘Evaluating own work and supplying suggestions for improvement’ |
‘Less need for asking questions to the supervising officer’ | |
‘Good way to give feedback to each other’ | |
‘The one who observed pointed out the things you forgot’ | |
‘An advantage to evaluate and being observed’ | |
‘Feedback right away’ | |
Learning | ‘Better insight, easier to remember, better learning’ |
(3) Which limitations to learning does dyad training provide?
| |
Independence/individualism | ‘I get impatient and I want to examine myself!’ |
Social dynamics | ‘It is irritating to work with someone, who you are not on the same page with’ |
‘You aren’t under the same state of pressure’ | |
‘One can feel shy when another person observes you’ | |
‘You can feel monitored by your peer’ | |
‘If your partner is very much better than you, you do not benefit that much from it’ | |
Hands-on | ‘It is difficult to interrupt and you only get half the training time’ |
‘Less active yourself’ | |
‘Less experience in the physical examination’ | |
‘Fewer cases’ | |
‘You see fewer patients’ | |
Quality of encounter | ‘You don’t recognize your own weaknesses because there’s someone to support you’ |
‘Decreases interaction with patients—not significantly though’ | |
‘Risk of being less thorough because you always have someone to remind you of things you forget’ | |
‘Sometimes you may be less focused when you are not the one who is active’ | |
(4) Describe how you interacted with your training partner?
| |
Case-based discussion | ‘Discussion of our encounter and each other’s deficits…discussion of symptoms, work-up and treatments options’ |
‘Exchanging ideas’ | |
‘Good feedback after encounters’ | |
‘Got advice from each other—supply each other with additional information’ | |
‘Discussion of what you have done and what you forgot—was very useful’ | |
‘We talked freely about differential diagnoses and patient work-up’ | |
‘Discussing diagnoses and being a spare memory’ | |
‘Discussing the case at hand’ | |
‘Discussion of the case and of the history taking and physical examination’ | |
‘Supplying each other with questions we forgot to ask’ | |
‘Discussion of treatment options—adding up information’ | |
‘Interaction and creation of common write-up and diagnoses’ | |
‘Making sure that you got all the important information’ | |
‘You can become blinded by all the possibilities but having a partner makes you see the obvious’ | |
‘The one, who was the ‘doctor’ asked after each element in the history taking if he/she forgot something’ | |
‘Discussing and agreeing before writing the journal’ | |
‘Discuss the encounter’ | |
‘Cooperate about a joint treatment plan and suggestions for diagnoses’ | |
‘Discussion and evaluation of performance’ | |
‘Discussion of what to do differently next time’ | |
Social support | ‘Support from buddy if unconfident’ |
Deliberate practice | ‘We had a relevant discussion of why we did as we did and what to improve’ |