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Letters to the Editor
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Problem-based learning
A medical student’s perspective
From Mr I. L. Haines, MRPharmS
I am a pharmacist studying for a medical degree. I think it is an excellent
idea that problem-based learning (PBL) is being implemented into the
undergraduate pharmacy degree (PDF 75K) at Manchester University (PJ,
29 January, p117).
Initially, having been used to traditional styles of learning I had my
reservations about how this relatively new format of PBL would work.
But it did. Once we had worked through two cases at Keele, the group
had displaced any teething problems present at the onset, and as practising
professionals do, started working together with everyone combining knowledge
acquired since the learning objectives were identified in the first session
that week.
The purpose of the facilitator (usually a staff member) is to ensure
that the sessions and the subsequent research remain within the remit
of the case and to prevent the group going off at a tangent. An elected
chairman and scribe also allow the group to co-ordinate the sessions,
including incorporating quieter members of the group.
In essence, the minority of people who disliked the PBL process initially
were, in my experience, those who preferred having all the information
being spoon-fed to them. However, once qualified you make the decisions
based on resources available to you at the time, including other health
care professionals, and PBL prepares you for this.
Ian L. Haines
Second-year Medical Student
Keele University
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal