The Dynamics of Physicians’ Learning and Support of Others’ Learning

Abstract

Learning has been defined as a condition for improving the quality of healthcare practice. The focus of this paper is on physicians' learning and their support of others' learning in the context of Swedish healthcare. Data were generated through individual and focus group interviews and analyzed from a sociomaterial practice theory perspective. During their workday, physicians dynamically alternated between their own learning and their support of others' learning in individual patient processes. Learning and learning support were interconnected with the versatile mobility of physicians across different contexts and their participation in multiple communities of collaboration and through tensions between responsibilities in healthcare. The findings illustrate how learning enactments are framed by the existing "practice architectures." We argue that productive reflection on dimensions of learning enactments in practice can enhance physicians' professional learning and improve professional practice.

Complex Professional Learning: Physicians Working for Aid Organizations

“…The informants were strategically sampled (see Kvale & Brinkman, 2014;Thörne, Hult, Andersson Gäre, & Abrandt Dahlgren, 2014) in order to achieve variation in a medical specialty, age, and gender, as well as current workplaces in different clinics and towns. All of them received information about the study and gave their consent to the author, who also performed the interviews.…”

Special Issue: Complexity, Routines, and Reflexivity in Professional Work

“…"It was incredibly valuable, true learning," she said. As I understood it, the local and the expatriate doctors formed two "communities of collaboration" (Thörne et al, 2014) that did not seem to engage in much formal learning exchange. Kajsa had found a way to learn by imitation of the local doctors, following them on rounds and engaging in an intensive and exciting "learning by doing."…”