Practical Considerations for Bedside Teaching: A Critical Application of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle

Bedside teaching represents an immensely valuable learning experience for students, fostering acquisition of clinical skills alongside wider professional competencies. Despite such benefits, the practice of bedside teaching is in decline, and there remains a paucity of available guidance regarding how best to conduct bedside teaching. Learning theories can enhance teaching through providing evidence-based frameworks; Kolb's experiential learning theory is of particular relevance to bedside teaching due to its immersive and hands-on nature. This article critically applies experiential theory to bedside teaching and derives relevant considerations for tutors. It is found that bedside teaching is rooted in and evidenced by experiential learning theory and should thus be prioritised within clinical placements. Experiential theory can be used to optimise the learning experience provided, structure learning within clinical contexts and emphasise reflection and subsequent student learning. However, there is a need for dynamic adaptation of the model in response to unpredictable environments and for tutors to support and guide students through the learning cycle. Further empirical research is required to establish the efficacy of direct employment of Kolb's learning cycle within bedside teaching and to optimise the concrete experience provided.