Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
Background: Improving the relationship between students and teacher is crucial for better learning. Through an effective relationship, students become motivated, ask more questions and engage actively in the learning process. Since this relationship is context related, clarifying it through qualitative study in different educational environments is crucial. In clinical setting i.e. where both student and clinical educator has multiple responsibilities (educational duties , patient’s care and treatment and research), relationship is of great importance since it is mostly face to face and constitute valuable experiences for students. This study aims to explore experiences of internal residents about relationship with their attending physicians to give better understanding about it in clinical setting. Method: The study was conducted using qualitative content analysis (Graneheim, 2006) through semi structured interviews to gather information to explore the nature of the relationship between internal residents and their attending physicians in 2014. Participants were 10 residents of internal medicine (first to fourth year of their residency) and 9 of their clinical attending physicians in educational hospitals of Tehran University of Medical sciences. Results and Discussion: The main concepts explored in this study including: selection, clinical purposeful interactions and learning in clinical setting. In case of existence a respectful, continuous and safe relationship between attending physicians and their residents in all academic ranks, learning happens through mostly role models whom were selected by residents. Instead, in temporary, or of top-down interactions, most of students’ learning is from their senior colleagues. Conclusion: It seems that in clinical settings, relationship between internal residents and their attending physician forms through selection and making purposeful interaction. In this way, residents learn mostly from their role models or their senior colleagues. Given the importance of student- teacher relationship in learning, future studies must address how to assess different approaches to inhibiting improper relationships, and how to use and evaluate strategies for making effective relationship in clinical setting.
