Value-added education: enhancing learning on the psychiatry inpatient consultation service

Advancing the Mission of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Through Innovation in Teaching

BACKGROUND

Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry, similar to other medical specialties, relies on the education of students, residents, fellows, and life-long learners for growth of the field. C-L psychiatry is unique as it exists at the intersection of psychiatry with other medical subspecialties. Traditional teaching methods have been used in C-L psychiatry programs for more than 50 years, while technology has recently advanced as available resources and the learning styles of today's learners have evolved. A growing number of younger trainees are taking advantage of new ways to learn.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to examine both traditional and novel teaching methodologies and how each of these educational methodologies fits within adult learning theory and in the context of how digital natives learn about C-L psychiatry.

METHODS

In this narrative review, we drew upon the experiences of the authors as both life-long learners and educators. We then reviewed the literature pertaining to teaching methods that have been used in C-L psychiatry as well as emerging methods that could potentially be used in C-L psychiatry.

RESULTS

C-L psychiatry has used traditional teaching methods such as readings, didactic lectures, case-based rounds, and problem-based learning. Novel teaching methodologies such as teaching rotations, simulations, social media, podcasts, movie clubs, and the use of mobile tablet computers have been used in general psychiatry and other medical specialties, while literature specific to C-L psychiatry was sparse.

CONCLUSIONS

Opportunities abound to make use of new teaching methodologies and technologies to appeal to future generations of C-L psychiatrists.