Experience based learning (ExBL): an alternative approach to teaching medical students on paediatric placements

Paediatric placements provide medical student’ main undergraduate training in caring for children and young people. Yet changes in medical education have reduced opportunities to participate in patient care, potentially leading students to feel underprepared for the challenges of paediatric practice. This article introduces experience-based learning (ExBL), an evidence-based framework to guide clinicians involved in teaching medical students. It describes how the framework was developed and outlines its central principles – promoting students’ participation in patient care and supporting them to reflect on their experiences. It then offers practical guidance on how clinicians can use ExBL to reformulate and refresh paediatric placements within the constraints facing clinical education and practice.