Hospital-based Medicine

Education Pathway

Medical Education Dogmas: Things Educators Do for No Reason

Chair(s)

• 

  Jimmy Beck, MD, MEd

  Assistant Profess of Pediatrics
  Seattle Children's Hospital
  Seattle, Washington, United States

Webster’s Dictionary defines a “dogma” as a settled opinion, principle, or maxim. When concepts become rigid dogmas, creative thinking is obstructed. This further impedes the development and incorporation of innovative approaches and ideas. Increasingly, attention has been given to clinical practices or “dogmas” that may not be evidence-based. This investigative approach to widely held clinical practices has been promoted through the lauded Choosing Wisely campaign and the “Things We Do For No Reason” series in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Yet, within education, much like the clinical realm, we have adopted certain widely accepted educational strategies and practices that are potentially futile, or even harmful, for educators and learners rather than being evidence-based or even “best practice”.

During our session, we will review well-known educational approaches that have become common parts of educators’ teaching toolboxes but that have little evidence to support them and provide little educational value to our learners. These topics, which will be relevant to educators who work with learners of varying levels and in a variety of settings will include: millennial learners, cognitive biases, learning styles, time-based training and simulation based training.

The session will begin with a brief history of dogmas in general. Then, each panelist will present one medical education dogma that lacks robust evidence for 15 minutes which will include at least 5 minutes of audience participation (Q/A, reflection questions, polling questions) Panelists will also share alternative evidence-based teaching practices that audience members can use in place of the dogma. Finally, we will solicit from audience members other widespread teaching practices that are difficult to justify based on current evidence. Our goal is for this session to assist educators in realizing that not all educational approaches, including “best practices,” have evidence. We hope this session will serve as a starting place for increased research, further investigation into the suggested dogmas and active discussions amongst educators.

Presentations:

• 1:00 PM - 1:10 PM US CT

  Intro of speakers and session
  

  Presenter: Barrett Fromme, MD, MHPE – University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
• 1:20 PM - 1:35 PM US CT

  OK, Boomer: Debunking the Myth of the Millennial Learner
  

  Presenter: Whitney L. BROWNING, MD – Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• 1:35 PM - 1:50 PM US CT

  All VARK and no bite: The evidence behind learning styles
  

  Presenter: Eric Zwemer, MD – University of North Carolina
• 1:50 PM - 2:00 PM US CT

  Anchors Away! The Misguided Obsession with Cognitive Biases
  

  Presenter: Jimmy Beck, MD, MEd – Seattle Children's Hospital
• 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM US CT

  People are not bread: Getting beyond time-based training
  

  Presenter: Benjamin Kinnear, MD, MEd – Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
• 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM US CT

  See One, Do one, Teach One, Forget One?
  

  Presenter: Natalie Guerrier McKnight, MD – Inova Children's Hospital
• 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM US CT

  Q&A
  

  Presenter: Belinda Thomas