Professor in the Department of Medicine and an education scientist, Center for Faculty Educators, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, US.
Research associate with the Center for Faculty Educators, University of California, San Francisco, California, US.
Perspect Med Educ. 2024 Jul 4;13(1):380-391. doi: 10.5334/pme.1327. eCollection 2024.
Physicians have a professional responsibility to engage in lifelong learning. Some of this lifelong learning is required to maintain licensure and certification. Yet, this conceptualization captures only a small portion of the content areas and learning processes that physicians need to engage with to ensure quality patient care. Additionally, purposes beyond regulatory requirements and professional obligations likely drive physicians lifelong learning, though these purposes have not been explored. Given the centrality of lifelong learning to quality patient care, our study explores how physicians conceptualize and engage in lifelong learning.
We conducted a qualitative interview study using an interpretivist approach. In 2019, we recruited 34 academic physicians from one institution. We analyzed our data to identify themes related to conceptualization of purposes, content areas, and processes of lifelong learning and actual lifelong learning practices.
We interpreted participants' descriptions and examples of lifelong learning as serving three purposes: maintaining competence, supporting personal growth and fulfillment, and engaging in professional stewardship. Much of participants' discussion of lifelong learning centered around keeping up to date with medical knowledge and clinical/procedural skills, though some also mentioned efforts to improve communication, leadership, and teamwork. Participants engaged in lifelong learning through contextual, social, and individual processes.
Academic physicians engage in lifelong learning for reasons beyond maintaining competence. Medical knowledge and clinical/procedural skills receive most attention, though other areas are recognized as important. Our findings highlight opportunities for a broader, more comprehensive approach to lifelong learning that spans all areas of medical practice.
医生有责任进行终身学习。其中一些终身学习是维持执照和认证所必需的。然而，这种概念仅涵盖了医生为确保患者护理质量所需的部分内容领域和学习过程。此外，除了监管要求和职业义务之外，可能还有其他目的促使医生进行终身学习，尽管这些目的尚未得到探讨。鉴于终身学习对患者护理质量的重要性，我们的研究探讨了医生如何概念化和参与终身学习。
我们采用解释主义方法进行了一项定性访谈研究。2019 年，我们从一个机构招募了 34 名学术医生。我们对数据进行了分析，以确定与终身学习的目的、内容领域和过程以及实际终身学习实践相关的主题。
我们将参与者对终身学习的描述和例子解释为服务于三个目的：保持竞争力、支持个人成长和实现个人满足感，以及从事专业管理。参与者对终身学习的讨论主要集中在跟上医学知识和临床/程序技能的最新进展，但也有一些人提到努力改善沟通、领导力和团队合作。参与者通过背景、社会和个人过程参与终身学习。
学术医生进行终身学习的原因不仅仅是为了保持竞争力。医学知识和临床/程序技能受到最多关注，但也认识到其他领域很重要。我们的研究结果突出了终身学习的更广泛、更全面方法的机会，涵盖医学实践的所有领域。
