The Physician as Teacher

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Physician as Teacher is a concisely written book that covers ways physicians can improve their roles as teachers. Many of the recommendations offered to improve medical teaching have practical application not only for academic physicians but also for those in private practice. Drs Schwenk and Whitman approach the subject in an organized fashion and present their materials in two parts. First, they deal with teaching as a form of communication, and second, they describe teaching strategies.The authors contend that many of the basic interpersonal communication skills involved in teaching are intuitive to physicians by comparing similarities that exist between physician-patient and teacher-learner relationships. They refer to the work of Mann and his colleagues in describing six roles assumed by teachers, as well as identifying five types of medical students and residents with whom the medical teacher must deal. Conditions that contribute to effective adult learning are emphasized. The