Trust Me I'm a Doctor; the Importance of Trust in Promoting High Performance Learning in Medical Education

Abstract

Trust is an essential component of developing bonds and, in particular, the relationship between teacher and learner. The cumulative effects of pedagogy, curriculum, content, and delivery in teaching and learning of medical students (MS) are well established and the importance of the relationship between student and teachers, with particular reference to the concept of trust is reviewed, addressing aspects of intention, capability, character, and integrity. Trust is often perceived as a soft quality with respect to education, however trust actually provides an environment of hope and inspirational optimism. In such an environment teachers and learners can be authentic about their 'best selves', developing good character with high emotional intelligence (EI), where honest reflection is the key to enhanced integrity with transparent intentions in their relationships. Trusting relationships in education instil mutual respect, enhance collaboration, and promote the independent thinking that results from transparent and kind mutual interactions. Indeed, loyalty and commitment to values and goals ensures the success of the learning environment. Neuroscience and psychology experiments demonstrate recent evidence to support the importance of trust in relationships that can be considered relevant to teaching and learning. The expression of hormones and brain function, associated with trusting relationships and interpersonal bonding is explored.

Toward Understanding and Building Trust for Practicing and Emerging Healthcare Professionals: The ASC-DOC Trust Model

“…If learners are shaped in a high-stress, untrusting environment with no objective working model of what trust looks like and how to build it, then the ultimate result may continue to be stressed-out new clinicians who are not optimally competent at gaining or building trust. The solution, Houldsworth (2020) suggests, involves education that builds trusting relationships, which "instill mutual respect, enhance collaboration, and promote the independent thinking that results from transparent and kind mutual interactions" (Houldsworth, 2020, p. 184). These are the same skills healthcare learners will need to gain and build trust professionally.…”

“…These are the same skills healthcare learners will need to gain and build trust professionally. Trusting relationships also have been found to impact the learning environment itself, transforming the education dynamic into one of loyalty and support, increasing the depth and speed of learners' development (Houldsworth, 2020). Healthcare education needs an objective measure to recognize what trust looks and acts like, how to assess its lack, and how to address trust gaps.…”

Solutions

“…There are also suggestions that trust is important in the student teacher relationship (Houldsworth 2020), so an organisation which values trust between managers and staff might well find that this extends to improved educational outcomes among students.…”