Collaborative writing for clinical educators: recommendations from a community of scholars

Abstract

Clinical educators who wish to engage in scholarship in health professions’ education (HPE), are ideally poised at the intersection of educational theories and their application to educational practice. However, the burden of clinical practice does not often allow the time and space for scholarly writing. Being part of a collaborative writing team, incorporating members with varying levels of expertise, from different health care professions, and at different stages of their career, can provide valuable opportunities for clinicians to contribute to scholarship. Such collaborations can also bridge the gap between scholarship and educational practice in clinical settings. In this paper, we emphasise the benefits of collaborative writing, describe challenges for clinical educators in starting writing projects, and identify potential solutions. We outline a systematic approach to collaborative writing grounded in literature and our own experiences. Three key concepts underpin the provided recommendations: types and standards for scholarship, leadership and followership and communities of practice. Psychological safety, mentoring and a growth mindset are emphasised as integral to successful team projects. Finally, we argue that collaborative writing groups in clinical education can be powerful communities of practice where the overall contribution to the field can be greater than the sum of its parts.