How is e-learning in the health professions different than in other fields?
Are there particular challenges? DC: With very rare exceptions, such as learning disabilities, people appear to learn the same way. In that sense, the same fundamental principles of learning and e-learning that have been validated in other educational settings should hold true in health professions education as well. However, there are some challenges. First, health professionals must learn and stay on top of a huge amount of constantly-changing information. Second, the specific things to be learned—how to interview a patient, how to perform procedures on living and usually sick human beings, how to obtain and interpret information needed to make the right diagnosis—are somewhat unique to medicine, although there is overlap with other fields. Third, health professionals are experienced learners. By the time the residents in our program begin using our e-learning software, they have been going to school for more than 20 years, which can be both good and bad. Finally, health professional
