Holistic Approach in Managing a Clinical Learning Environment: 3Cs Approach

Focus of medical education presently is how best to develop an effective future practitioner with the relevant set of skills and knowledge. These responsibilities largely hinge on the teachers involved in the training program especially during the clinical years of learning. The teachers' effectiveness is in turn, greatly dependent on both their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. However, these aspects are often neglected. Hence, it is pertinent that medical schools understand the needs of clinicians and support them as educators. In the paper, we will describe how a Singapore medical school established sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship using a novel 3Cs approach- Connect, Communicate and Collaborate. The paper elaborates the rationale of the concept, operational processes, results of early success as well as limitations and future opportunities. This model can be useful and relevant to other medical schools and institutions where the students spend significant time of their training outside the parent institution on how best to develop sustainable relationships with external faculty.