Implementing Learning Communities in a Medical School

Abstract

Learning communities have been successfully incorporated into undergraduate medical education around the globe. These communities promote student and faculty interaction as well as senior-to-junior student mentorship opportunities and vast learning experiences. These may positively impact the students' personal and professional development. This chapter focuses on the experience of one medical school during the design and implementation of a learning communities model incorporated into its curriculum. The authors expand on the technical aspects of the model and on challenges, solutions, and learning experiences gained during more than six years since the program's implementation in their institution.