Viewpoint: Learning through teaching

One of the things that stood out about my anaesthesia elective was the one to one teaching that I received every day. I was paired with a staff doctor or fellow and was the only student for whom he or she was responsible. Sometimes the teacher to student ratio was even two to one, if a staff and intern were both present. It was obvious from the start that I was benefiting immensely from this apprenticeship. I learnt about cardiac output and stroke volume while I was monitoring patients' blood pressure. I learnt to insert peripheral intravenous lines; improved my success rate by paying careful attention to the staff; and felt comfortable enough to ask questions.

But this apprenticeship model has benefits for the teachers as well, and I was fortunate to discover this for myself. One day I was paired with an intern who was in his first month