Clinician Educator Tips to Support Learning and Belonging
These tips were developed by the AOCI in partnership with students to highlight practical approaches to support learners and promote belonging even in busy clinical environments. We encourage faculty and residents/fellows to consider what practices they already use in their teaching, and what new approaches they might adopt. Other helpful resources include: the CFE3 collection of 3-minute videos (a few are embedded below), CFE educator workshops, and AOCI resources.
Click on each principle below to see specific ideas for application and example language.
Principle: Build meaningful relationships, uplift strengths, and create a supportive environment for learning
Application
With Individual Learners
- Briefly meet 1:1 at the start of working together to get to know each learner and hear about their learning goals to tailor your teaching
- Ask about personal strengths and successes; THEN ask what has been challenging in the past and what prior teachers have done that has been helpful for their learning so that you can best support them
- Ask about learning preferences (e.g., when/how learners prefer to hear feedback)
- Create space for learners to share their preferred response to microaggressions if they’d like to (CFE3, CFE3)
- Respond with support and connection to resources if learners disclose a need for an accommodation ([email protected]
available for Q’s; CFE3)
With Teams
- If you’re comfortable, including your pronouns in your intro can create space for others to do so if they’d like
- For icebreakers, avoid assuming shared life experiences and choose questions that everyone can answer and that emphasize strengths (CFE3, CFE3)
- Share team goals (e.g., caring for patients, learning together) and how you’ll support these goals
- Express your commitment to your own on-going learning and proactively share your openness to receiving feedback, including on equity-related concerns; share ways to provide feedback (e.g., text, email, in-person, via the chief resident)
- Highlight team members’ unique contributions
- Share your goals when asking questions (e.g., to understand what folks already know so you can build from there, or to advance patient care, not to test folks)
- Create a norm that when asked a question it’s OK to pass, share big picture thoughts, phone a friend, or take time to think and circle back later
Example Language
Learning Preferences: What works best for your learning in the hospital/clinic? How do you feel about on-the-fly questions and feedback on rounds? What have prior attendings done that worked well for you? Anything that has been challenging on past rotations that would be helpful to share?
Introductions/Icebreakers: I’m Sam, Dr. Conway with patients. I use she/her pronouns. I’d love for our team to start getting to know one another. As we do intros, if you’re up for it, it would be great to hear about a hidden talent or interest—inside or outside of healthcare. I can start—I love to write; recently, I’ve been writing poems as a way to process clinical work.
Framing Questions: I like to let folks know that when I ask questions on rounds my goal is to figure out what you already know so we can build from there; I never intend to put folks on the spot. It’s always OK to pass or phone a friend. It’s also great to share what you do know about a topic, even if you’re not certain of the specific answer to a question, and we can expand from there.
Principle: Set clear, transparent expectations; provide learner-centered feedback
Application
- Share what you expect of learners in different roles including how they can contribute to the team (consider sharing expectations both verbally and in writing); compare learners with a standard, not one another
- Discuss why you do things a certain way to emphasize your goals to support learning and optimize patient care
- Share frequent, bite-sized appreciative feedback; reinforcing feedback helps learners know what to keep doing and builds relationships over time (CFE3)
- If a learner isn’t doing something expected of them, start with open-ended questions about their approach and respond to this before offering constructive feedback and developing a plan for next steps together. Consider the right time/place for challenging feedback (e.g., 1 on 1)
Example Language
Appreciative Feedback: I want to share quick feedback—It’s so helpful to the team that you called the lab to get a sense of when the send-out test result would return.
Constructive Feedback: On rounds I’ve noticed... I’m wondering if you can share how you approach pre-rounding..., I’m hearing that your approach includes..., [then] I’d like to add to your approach with some feedback—here's what I expect of students when pre-rounding...Let’s make a plan for next steps together...
Principle: Model humility, vulnerability, and a growth mindset
Application
- Share when you don’t know the answer or make a mistake and model steps you’ll take to learn or follow-up
- Normalize that being a clinician often brings up challenging emotions; if you’re comfortable doing so, consider sharing about your experiences in training and beyond and how you manage difficult moments
- Create space after a challenging encounter to self-reflect and offer opportunities for others to debrief if they’re comfortable doing so (as a group or 1:1)
- Take ownership of your actions, acknowledge responsibility if you cause harm and share a specific action plan for next steps; ask if you can connect learners to support; it’s also OK to ask if it would be helpful for folks to share needs with you, and if so, follow the learner’s lead for when is a good time to talk (UCSF’s Office of Restorative Justice Practices is a resource for particularly challenging situations)
Example Language
Modeling: That’s a good question. I’m not sure of the answer—let's look it up together after rounds.
Debriefing: That encounter with Ms. B was challenging for me—I'd love to take some time later today for anyone who’d like to share their perspective and to think about how we can support one another.
Apologizing: I’m sorry for using that term—I’m now realizing it can be stigmatizing. I’m going to review our resources on gender affirming care and work on my language. Please let me know if I can connect you with support. I also value your feedback and would welcome a 1:1 check-in if that would be helpful for you, now or in the future.
Principle: Center patients, emphasize clinicians’ roles as advocates, and name social and structural forces impacting patients
Application
- Recognize learners’ efforts as advocates for patients
- Highlight patients’ strengths and assets (e.g., a patient who is very involved in and connected with their community)
- When possible given your time constraints, take a clinical pause: name when social/structural forces (e.g., housing policies, healthcare access), oppression (e.g., racism) may be impacting a patient’s illness or care AND consider when a patient’s social identities could increase the risk for bias and model strategies to reduce potential impact (e.g., take a pause to help your team slow down to consider other potential diagnosis; ask other members of the interprofessional team for input)
- Share actions you’re taking to promote equity as part of clinical care (e.g., routine use of interpreters for patients with non-English language preferences)
Example Language
Recognition for Advocacy: I really appreciate how you’ve spent extra time with Ms. P and learned more about her life outside the hospital—your advocacy for her housing is so important. The fact that you were able to gather that info up-front helps us be more effective and efficient as we partner with Ms. P to support her health...
Clinical Pause: I want to take a quick time-out to notice how much Mr. Y’s negative experiences in healthcare—like not getting adequate access to his medications—are a big part of his re-admission. Let’s brainstorm with our case manager what resources we might discuss with him.
Version 1; December 2025
