Roles and responsibilities of the problem based learning tutor in the undergraduate medical curriculum

Undergraduate medical curriculums that use problem based learning rather than a traditional approach need a different type of medical educator. With problem based learning, students working in small groups facilitated by tutors identify their own learning objectives from problem scenarios. Available evidence indicates that tutors must use their expertise subtly and sparingly, and balance this with an informal empathetic style. Tutors can gain much from facilitating adult learning, but must move away from authoritarianism and dispensing facts.