How Can Collaborative Learning Be Applied in Undergraduate Courses in Health Sciences?

Abstract

The use of collaborative learning in the classroom or on virtual platforms has been demonstrated in the multiple works of educational research, the results are conclusive, the students that deal with the capacity of reasoning, the retention of concepts, communication skills and the organization, among others. In the health sciences, it is essential to work in the team, health services are in collaboration and the formation of multidisciplinary working groups. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, biochemists, social workers, psychologists, among others, they must develop oral and written communication skills and be able to give medical advice that contributes to the patient's health. In other words, the very nature of medicine emanates from the social sciences and clinics and understands the patient as a subject with multiple needs, which can only be met by a team working with a common goal and collaboration to achieve it. We must teach students of health sciences to work collaboratively, the time to do it is during their school education, in simulated environments, so that, in clinical practice, they can form work teams that contribute to improving the condition of health of its population.That is why, in this work we reflect on the academic needs involved in the application of collaborative learning in undergraduate courses in health sciences.