Team-based learning (TBL): a structured approach to help medical students to learn problem-solving in family medicine

Abstract

Clinical reasoning is a key skill that medical students begin to learn from an early stage of their education. It is a complex process that includes problem identification, problem synthesis and problem solving to a diagnosis. Typically, this may be learned by working through paper cases and from bedside teaching over the course of medical education and training. In this highly interactive workshop we share our experience of using a novel approach called team-based learning (TBL) to help medical students learn and develop their clinical reasoning skills in family medicine. TBL uses a structured, game-based, collaborative approach to learning stimulates students to acquire, share and apply knowledge. It also brings fun and competition to the learning process which can lead to a higher level of motivation and better outcomes. Participants in this highly interactive workshop will have a hands-on opportunity to experience TBL from a student perspective, learn the process, and consider its application in their own settings.