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From The Critics
Reviewer: Alys S. Alper, MD, MPH(Tulane University School of Medicine)Description: This is a guide/tool for physicians engaging in medical education in the outpatient setting.
Purpose: The book attempts to provide physicians who are not classically trained as teachers guidance and insight to effective teaching strategies in an office environment. Not only is the book's objective worthy, but it's also very timely as medical education and medical care is shifting more to the outpatient sector. This is further complicated by increasing financial and time constraints as well as complexity, all of which the book addresses. The book meets its objectives on several levels as it is very comprehensive, but at times loses focus without enough concrete detail.
Audience: The book is written for physicians, both academic and community-based, but the emphasis seems to be at a community preceptor level. Additionally, the book addresses education of both students and residents, but focuses at a student level.
Features: The book establishes the need for definitive guidelines or parameters for in-office education as well as establishing goals for both the teacher and the learner. Each chapter begins with real examples/vignettes that serve to drive the subsequent discussions of teaching methods and diversity as well as the ability to capitalize on any given encounter to best meet predetermined goals. Toward the end, methods of assessment and evaluation are outlined. I found the evaluation tool particularly detailed and useful. Drawbacks include the dull presentation from the drab front cover to font/typeset within the chapters. At times, the information seems to run together and the layout is distracting. I also would have preferred more concrete examples of implementation and less educational theory.
Assessment: Overall, I found the book a useful and provocative read. It stimulates awareness of the need to be "proactive" as a teacher as well as physician in order to extract the most learning and teaching from each opportunity-no matter how or where it presents itself. I have not read anything that provided similar content.
Overview
Many crucial medical care decisions are made in outpatient settings, yet physician training continues to be primarily conducted in inpatient settings. Medical educators have long recognized the need for better ambulatory care training. Teaching Ambulatory Medicine: Moving Medical Education into the Office is a comprehensive guide to teaching this vital aspect of medical care. Emphasizing the benefits of ambulatory teaching for both medical students and office-based physicians, Durso offers practical advice on ...