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Table 2 Themes identified by interviews and focus groups

From: What makes a good clinical student and teacher? An exploratory study

Characteristics of a good clinical student

Characteristics of a good clinical teacher

Teachers

Teachers

Participates in learning/good attendance – 10

Act as positive role models - 10

Proactive – 5

Develops relationship with students - 6

Enthusiastic – 8

Respects students - 5

Mature/confident/not afraid to ask for help – 8

Cares about students - 4

Knowledgeable/skills competence – 7

Promotes students’ participation in communities of practice - 6

Communication skills – 6

Makes time to teach -5

Takes responsibility for learning/independent – 5

Provides one-to-one teaching - 4

Does not let exam pressures interfere with performance on attachment −5

Interested and committed to teaching - 5

Caring of patients/genuine – 4

Provides feedback - 5

Sense of vocation – 3

 Relevant to curricular stage - 2

Team player – 3

Able to recognize position in hierarchy - 1

Should conform to norms of dress – 7

 Avoid jeans, earings/piercings, bare midrifts/sexualized appearance

Should become fluent in language of medicine/bilingual in being able to adjust language when talking to patients – 7

Students

Students

Participates in learning/good attendance – 3

Act as positive role models – all 3 groups

Proactive – 3

Develops relationships with students - 3

Enthusiastic – 3

Enthusiastic/appears to enjoy teaching/confident - 3

Knowledgeable – 3

Knowledgeable/technically competent - 3

Able to take risks in a safe environment – 3

Makes time to teach - 3

Offer peer support – 3

Provides relevant learning experiences - 2

is promoted by shared experience and seen as an investment in the future

Promotes students’ abilities to take risks in safe environments - 2

Confident – 2

Supportive - 3

Aware of limitations – 2

Encouraging- 3

Team player – 2

Treat students with respect - 3

Able to take criticism – 2

Provide honest constructive feedback - 3

Should conform to norms of dress – 3

 Provides feedback consistent with curricular stage - 2

Students aware of overt pressure to conform to norms of dress – 3

Genuine with patients, students and colleagues - 3

 Avoid casual dress, piercings, sexualized appearance – 3

Good interpersonal skills - 2

 Promotes identification as medical student – 2

Team player - 3

 Taken more seriously by ward staff −2

Avoids humiliating students - 3

 Can hide behind clothes/make oneself look older – 2

Has developed teaching skills - 2

 Can become less conformative as move up hierarchy – 2

Appears to have a true vocation - 2

 Changing clothes is a method of switching off – 2

Ability to listen - 2

Should become fluent in language of medicine/bilingual in being able to adjust language when talking to patients – 3

Sense of humour - 1

Junior doctors and other Health Care Professionals as role models and mentors

Teachers

Students

It is important for students to develop relationships with junior doctors who can act as role models and mentors – 5

Junior doctors are able to empathise more with students - 3

Students identify with junior doctors more easily – 4

 Can be more welcoming

It is important for students to develop relationships with other health care professionals – 5

 More approachable

Helps students learn about teamwork

More able to form relationships with students

 

Other Health Care professionals can be effective teachers and mentors - 2

 

Nurses provide mentoring for developing practical skills

 

Useful source of practical knowledge

 

Important to develop relationships with HCPs to facilitate teaching

 

Recognition of importance of establishing relationships to facilitate learning

 

HCP, especially nurse teaching helps boost confidence and makes student feel part of team