The Rhetorical 'Turn' in Medical Education: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Going?

Authors

Lorelei Lingard, University of Toronto

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2007

Journal

Advances in Health Sciences Education

Volume

12

Issue

2

First Page

121

Last Page

133

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10459-006-9046-y

Abstract

This paper presents a critical reflection on the contributions and challenges associated with one rhetorical approach to studying teaching and learning communication in health professions education. A rhetorical approach treats language as a social act, and attends to the role of language in establishing professional identities and relationships. The research has produced insights into the use of standard communication formats to teach novices, the nature of socialization on clinical teams, and the relationship between communication patterns and patient safety. Challenges and emerging questions include the problem of accounting for the material dimensions of communication in a rhetorical model, grappling with the complexities of distributed teams, and difficulties bridging the epistemologies of rhetoric and psychometrics.

Notes

Dr. Lorelei Lingard is currently a faculty member at The University of Western Ontario.