Learning styles of psychiatrists and other specialists

Abstract

Aims and method: To describe how the Learning Styles Inventory was used to assess the preferred learning styles of a group of senior and specialist registrars from different specialities attending a management course. Results: Of the 272 doctors studied, the learning styles of psychiatrists (n=42) emerged as significantly different to the group as a whole, favouring reflective observation and concrete experience rather than active experimentation or abstract conceptualisation. Clinical implications: Knowledge of learning styles can help improve interactions with other specialities that adopt different learning strategies, and assist with the individual psychiatrist's lifelong learning. To engage the interest of medical students, psychiatrists may need to consider different teaching approaches in line with the prevalent learning style.