Learning is promoted if students feel part of the clinical team
and have real work to do, within the limits of their competence.
Learning in clinical environments is still carried out through a form
of apprenticeship, a community of practice as defined by Lave and
Wenger (1991). In this community, students learn by participation
and by contributing to tasks which have meaning, a process called
‘legitimate peripheral participation’. They need to feel valued and
should not be undermined by negative feedback, particularly in
front of others. Bullying and intimidation have no place in modern
education. Clinical tutors and staff should intervene if students do
not act professionally with peers, patients or colleagues. Everyone in
the clinical environment is a role model and should be aware of this.