Peer-Assisted Learning: The Future for Medical Ethics Education

This work considers whether educating other peers in a specific medical ethics and law (MEL) programme is an effective way to learn MEL. This work sets out to provide answer to the suggestion that exposure to the position of peer educator could develop the necessary understanding of MEL and relevant professional skills in the medical graduate. Its purpose is to consider whether PAL has the characteristics necessary to achieve the objectives of MEL education, whether data from its use to date supports this and if so, what theoretical basis may explain this. It looks to analyse the nature of learning that is occurring in these circumstances and to assess if early empirical data is consistent with the theoretical understanding.

Attention is also paid to the problems generated by this style of learning and the resources it requires, and whether these threaten both its practical application in the current undergraduate curriculum.