Harden Series – serie

The changing role of the student - from consumer and client to partner in the learning process - is arguably the most important development in medical education in the past two decades. The Changing Role of Medical Students takes a comprehensive look at what this means for educators, researchers, administrators, and all stakeholders across health care education. Written by Ronald M. Harden, author of Essential Skills of the Medical Teacher and Eight Roles of the Medical Teacher, and his daughter Jeni Harden, a social scientist with extensive experience teaching both medical and social science students - this book aims to inform and inspire. From the philosophical to the pragmatic, students will better understand the multifaceted roles they can and should embrace in their own education, teachers and trainers will learn how to actively engage students in this process, and administrators will gain insights for how to review and evolve the role of students in their organisations for maximum effectiveness.

This book highlights the basic concepts underpinning the OSCE, its development and implementation in practice. Practical guidelines and tips are provided based on the authors' extensive experience gained over 40 years. Case studies are included to illustrate the OSCE's use in a wide range of settings and professions to assess the expected learning outcomes. The text is supplemented with personal accounts and anecdotes.

Used globally in all phases of education in the different healthcare professions, the OSCE was first described by the lead author, Harden, in 1975 and it is now the gold standard for performance assessment.

"This book is an invaluable addition. It pulls together in one place pretty well everything that is known about the OSCE; what works and what doesn't. It is a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any educational leader." Geoff Norman's Foreword

This book will be an essential read for all new teachers or trainers in medicine and the healthcare professions, while encouraging the more experienced teacher to review their educational responsibilities. It looks at teaching from the perspective of the functions or roles of a teacher. While aiming to maintain both brevity and clarity it adopts a personal style and approach in order to provide a flavour of what it means to be a teacher.

The authors describe the eight key roles for the teacher or trainer. For maximum effectiveness and job satisfaction it is important for every teacher to establish their roles in an education programme and to know how to contribute most effectively. This book is written to assist with these goals. All teachers should have an understanding of the eight roles but cannot be expected to be an expert in all of them. A consideration of these roles illuminates what is expected of a teacher and illustrates how to maximise potential.

All the chapters contain brief overviews, key take-home messages, a summary of the role responsibilities of all teachers, 'expert' teachers and 'master' teachers, and suggestions for consideration by the teacher as to their personal role. At the end of each chapter is a list of references of the topics addressed in the chapter. The text includes short narratives from 38 teachers around the world as well as personal anecdotes to provide an additional insight into the roles a teacher fulfils.