Professional Experience Placement

Towle and Godolphin (2015) describe the role of the patient as an educator. They discuss the inconsistencies in the language used to describe and discuss ‘non-professionals’ involved with education of health profession students. They suggest the language currently used generates strong emotions within different groups. They use the word patient to encompasse the different terms to enable and progress discussion about including this important aspect of the patient perspective in health care education.

Towle and Godolphin (2015) describe the different models of including the patient voice in health education and how to plan for their inclusion within programmes. However, the importance of patient inclusion using any of the models proposed cannot be underestimated. Enabling students to learn through being exposed to the ‘patient’ lens is valuable for developing an appreciation of diversity in communication, understanding of the lived experience; enabling the development of a positive attitude; or heightened interest to effect change or assessment purposes. Patient involvement can also be through more formal processes such as curriculum development; collaboration or representation at a governance level.

Enabling students to gain confidence and comfort with patients is essential for developing competency and work-readiness as beginning level practitioners. Promoting the development of partnerships with patients within healthcare settings and the promotion of patient-centred care will continue. Preparing students through patients as educators is a useful adjunct to traditional models of learning.

If you have any comments about patients as educator you are welcome to post them here. Please join us @PEPCommunity.