A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Medicine and dentistry
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The dental student is immediately faced with professional obligations, and the teacher
must stress their responsibility to their patients. Punctuality, appearance, including
cleanliness, background reading and practice of skills need to be emphasised. Students
should be encouraged to attend clinical sessions in the right frame of mind.
Experiential learning is key in clinical learning (see Chapter 2). The teacher should
make provision for teaching and learning when patients are unable to attend; selfdirected
learning (SDL) and computer-aided learning (CAL) will allow students to test
knowledge and skills at their own pace.
For medical students, their clinical experience is all too often a rather less demanding
time. However, they too should demonstrate similar professional obligation and be in
possession of basic equipment such as a stethoscope. Before they go on the ward or into
the clinic, students should be well briefed.
Students should not be placed in an unsupported environment or pressured into
performing tasks that are beyond their level of training or conflict with cultural beliefs.
Students may encounter ethical dilemmas, but they should not be asked to face them
without guidance.
The teacher
For the clinician, the clinical environment will be one in which they feel comfortable.
They will be familiar with the setting and staff, and hopefully aware of the potential
problems that may be encountered while teaching.
Interrogating practice
Drawing on your experiences, how could you improve your own and other
clinical environments to facilitate the needs of learners?
Full-time members of university staff undertake much dental undergraduate clinical
teaching. Traditionally this has removed many hazards familiar to the ‘part-time’ medical
teacher, but as dental students participate more in community settings the issues
experienced by medicine are increasingly being felt. Bedside teaching often involves the
teacher, patient and several students. In contrast, teaching in the dental clinic involves
several students, each with their own patient, being overseen by one teacher. A teacher–
student ratio of about 1:8 is common. Dental and, increasingly, medical students work
closely with other healthcare professionals from an early stage of their training and the
supervisor should be aware of this relationship and its development. The teacher’s role
is one of supervision, guidance and ensuring the safety of all participants.
On the wards it may be necessary to check that the patient(s) you wish to use in teaching
are not going to be ‘employed’ in procedures or investigations. Check that your session