Teaching in the Pre-Clerkship Curriculum

The first two years of the MD program provide the foundation for students' future clinical practice by integrating biomedical science, clinical medicine, and professional development. Learning occurs through a variety of educational experiences that are designed to help students build knowledge while developing the skills and habits of clinical reasoning. Rather than relying primarily on lectures, the curriculum uses multiple teaching formats, each with a distinct purpose. As a clinical teacher, your role is to help students connect foundational concepts to authentic clinical practice and begin thinking like physicians.

Pre-clerkship teaching includes large-group interactive sessions, small-group tutorials, clinical reasoning sessions, clinical skills teaching, anatomy and simulation-based learning, and early clinical experiences in hospitals, clinics, and community settings. Throughout these experiences, students develop skills in history taking, physical examination, communication, clinical reasoning, teamwork, professionalism, and patient-centred care while progressively integrating the biomedical, behavioural, and social sciences. Faculty members contribute in many different roles—from facilitating small-group discussions and teaching clinical skills to leading interactive classroom sessions or supervising learners in authentic clinical environments. Regardless of the teaching format, the goal is the same: to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and professional judgement that will prepare them for clerkship and, ultimately, independent clinical practice.

Common Teaching Roles in the Pre-Clerkship Curriculum

As a clinical teacher, you may be involved in one or more of the following learning activities:

• Large-group interactive teaching – introducing key clinical concepts, applying foundational science to patient care, and promoting active learning through questions, polling, or case discussions.

• Small-group tutorials – facilitating discussion, encouraging inquiry, and helping students integrate concepts rather than delivering content.

• Clinical reasoning sessions – guiding students through the diagnostic process, helping them formulate differential diagnoses, interpret clinical information, and explain their reasoning.

• Clinical skills teaching – coaching students in history taking, physical examination, communication skills, and clinical documentation using standardized or real patients.

• Simulation and procedural skills – supporting the development of clinical decision-making, teamwork, and technical skills in a safe learning environment.

• Early clinical experiences – introducing students to authentic clinical practice through supervised experiences in community clinics, hospitals, rural and northern settings, and other healthcare environments.

• Assessment activities – observing learners, providing constructive feedback, and contributing to workplace-based assessments and structured examinations such as OSCEs.

Each teaching role contributes to a coordinated curriculum. Whether you teach a single lecture, facilitate a tutorial, supervise a clinical skills session, or host students in your clinic, your teaching helps students integrate their learning and prepares them for the increasing responsibilities they will assume during clerkship.