The “Flipped Classroom” Model for Teaching in the Intensive Care Unit Rationale, Practical Considerations, and an Example of Successful Implementation

Introduction:The intensive care unit (ICU) is a dynamic and complex learning environment. The wide range in trainee’s experience, specialty training, fluctuations in patient acuity and volume, limitations in trainee duty hours, and additional responsibilities of the faculty contribute to the challenge in providing a consistent experience with traditional educational strategies. The “flipped classroom” is an educational model with the potential to improve the learning environment. In this paradigm, students gain exposure to new material outside class and then use class time to assimilate the knowledge through problem-solving exercises or discussion. The rationale and pedagogical foundations for the flipped classroom are reviewed, practical considerations are discussed, and an example of successful implementation is provided.Methods:An education curriculum was devised and evaluated prospectively for teaching point-of-care echocardiography to residents rotating in the surgical ICU.Results:Preintervention and...