Authors (including presenting author) :
Walline JH(1)(2), Song PP(3), Hung KC (1)(2), Leung LY(2), Graham CA(1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Trauma and Emergency Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, (2) Accident and Emergency Medicine Academic Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, (3) Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
Introduction :
The role of group field trips in medical training has been underexplored. As a method of providing students with experiential learning opportunities located off-site, field trips potentially can help trainees learn about the practice of emergency medical treatment and care of patients outside traditional hospital settings. This study will review several examples of field trip activities to highlight the benefits and drawbacks for medical education.
Objectives :
The purpose of this study is to familiarize the audience with different types of group field trip excursions relevant to medical training. Attendees will learn about the merits and pitfalls of a wide range of field trip activities that have been implemented in the U.S., U.K., mainland China and Hong Kong. Attendees will gain the skills for planning similar activities to enhance their own training programs.
Methodology :
The authors have over two decades of experience in providing educational training in a wide range of international contexts including the U.S., U.K., mainland China, and Hong Kong. Drawing on these experiences, six different types of field trips will be analyzed as case studies and discussed for their educational value.
Result & Outcome :
We will draw on the professional experiences of the authors to highlight six examples of educational field trips as case studies for further discussion. We will analyze the benefits and drawbacks of these off-site experiential learning opportunities and assess their utility in helping trainees learn about the practice of emergency medical treatment and care of patients outside traditional hospital settings. The case studies we will analyze include field trips to the following locations: Botanic Gardens, Zoo, Gun Shooting Range, Aeromedical Base, Airline Flight Training Facility, and a Fire Department Training Base. For each of these locations, we will discuss the following questions: What were the educational objectives of this field trip? What logistical and financial arrangements were necessary to set up this field trip? What degree of faculty involvement and preparation was needed? What types of hands-on training were provided for trainees at each site? What activities took place during each trip, including lectures and experiential forms of learning? How did these activities link up to training milestones? What obstacles were encountered before, during and after each trip? Educational goals (e.g. poisonous and medicinal plants at the botanic gardens); pitfalls (e.g. safety concerns at the gun shooting range and aeromedical base) and overall assessment of the merits of each activity will be discussed in detail. Through this analysis, we hope to spark debate and ideas about the current and future use of field trips for medical education.
