BMJ  2008;336:150-153 (19 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39308.610081.AD

Practice

Teaching Rounds

The "problem" junior: whose problem is it?

Yvonne Steinert, director

1 Centre for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Lady Meredith House, McGill University, 1110 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1A3

yvonne.steinert@mcgill.ca

When working with "problem" learners, clinical teachers often feel at a loss as to how to tackle the difficulties. This article offers guidance on how to do this

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.


  • A "problem" junior may be a learner who does not meet expectations because of problems in one of three areas: knowledge, attitudes, or skills
  • Teachers must identify whether the problem lies with the teacher, the learner, and/or the system
  • Careful data gathering with the learner is essential before any intervention
  • Teachers must identify learners’ strengths as well as areas for improvement
  • Interventions may include increased observation and feedback, additional time with a faculty adviser, weekly study sessions, core content review, videotaping of clinical encounters, or counselling
  • Teachers must work collaboratively with the junior doctor to ensure "due process" and guarantee fairness, confidentiality, and informed consent


Clinical teachers often work with junior doctors whom they find challenging or "difficult." However, we all view learners’ problems differently, and whether we label a junior doctor as a "problem" doctor depends on many factors. Some of us may have encountered junior doctors like Dr . . . [Full text of this article]

Dr James
Dr Roberts
Dr James
Dr Roberts

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