Ecological Systems Theory in Clinical Learning

Abstract

Ecological Systems Theory (EST) seeks to understand human development through examining the interactions between an individual’s innate nature and the multiple influences from the environment. Its emphasis on understanding developmental issues from a nonlinear, multifactorial perspective suits the study of clinical education in an age where healthcare is a social system involving multiple factors that are inter-related in complex ways. In this chapter, we describe the potential uses of EST in understanding and exploring how contextual influences impact clinical learning, transitions and change, and helping trainees with difficulties.