Peer learning in clinical education

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of peer learning as a process that is potentially beneficial to clinical education. Peer learning is a well documented learning strategy in paediatric educational literature. Many allied health clinical education programs purport to utilize it as a learning technique. Do we really know what peer learning is, how to promote it and why it is beneficial to facilitate it? This paper addresses these questions by considering terminology and definitions of peer learning and briefly outlining theoretical justification for its use in clinical education. Literature regarding the application of peer learning in clinical education is reviewed and the reported and purported benefits of peer learning are discussed.