Apprenticeship to Entrustment: A Model for Clinical Education

A novel visual representation of two foundational theories to medical education - cogntive apprenticeship and entrustment.

Trainees have long apprenticed alongside experts, participating more fully as they earn their mentors’ trust. Novice physicians still rely on learning by doing under the guidance of experts. Termed legitimate peripheral participation, learners begin by engaging in simple but real tasks, tackling increasingly complex and more central roles as their supervisors’ trust increases.

By providing intentionally layered scaffolding throughout a cognitive apprenticeship, the expert supports the novice’s development of patterns for understanding problem solving, encouraging increasing autonomy as trust is earned.

Merritt C, Shah B, Santen S. Apprenticeship to Entrustment: A Model for Clinical Education. Acad Med. 2017;92(11):1646.