Clinical learning environments: Updates

Academic exploration of the Clinical Learning Environment (CLE) has evolved over time. In 2009, Asch et al. drew a direct connection between the CLE, training outcomes, and patient care, highlighting the importance of the CLE and inspiring further research in this domain. With a growing body of evidence articulating its significance, several organizations were prompted to publish conceptualizations of the CLE as a discrete concept, such that its components may be measured and thus improved upon. Since then, it has become increasingly clear that the CLE is not an isolated entity; it is continuously molded by external pressures including the intensifying polarizations within our global society and the political ramifications of these divides. And yet, the nuances of how these external forces influence our CLE, including how we should, or should not, adapt to accommodate them, has not yet been explicitly captured. In this commentary we will summarize the academic history of CLE, review how the shifting global landscape has influenced the CLE, and propose a way forward. As a professional community, we must understand the impact of these external factors such that we may proactively adapt and ensure quality training outcomes and positive outcomes for our patients.