Teaching Tips—A new series in JGIM

Excerpt

Osler once said of medicine, “Life is short, the art is long.” Like clinical medicine, clinical teaching involves both science and art. The science of clinical teaching is growing at a steady, albeit frustratingly slow, pace. One important mission of JGIM is to increase the scientific understanding of clinical teaching by publishing high-quality research on clinical education. However, the art of clinical teaching is more subjective, involving the life stories, values, and interpersonal interactions of teachers, learners, and patients1. The art of medicine is a key source of inspiration for clinical teachers. When teachers get together over coffee (or something stronger), they are more likely to swap moving stories of powerful teaching encounters than the latest research findings. …