Abstract

In 1994 the McGill University preclinical medical curriculum was changed from predominantly didactic, discipline-based instruction to a problem-based approach, in which the emphasis lies in student discussion of clinical cases with physician mentors. Although the new curriculum has rapidly gained favour with students, it has also generated some problems. Foremost among the problems is the diminishing pool of physician-scientist tutors to facilitate the ever-increasing number of small-group discussions. From the concepts embodied in educational theories of situated learning and learning communities, this paper has proposed that physicians in clinical practice and PhD scientists engaged in biomedical research, be trained to co-facilitate small-group discussions. Their complementary knowledge and similar training, should provide a forum through which medical students will develop clinical reasoning skills, based on sound scientific knowledge, early in their training.