Bringing Basic Science to the Ob/Gyn Clerkship: Perspective from Our Learners

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate medical student perceptions on whether basic science concepts were taught during patient care delivery in an Obstetrics-Gynecology clinical clerkship. BACKGROUND: Medical school curriculums are moving towards competency-based curricula, with an emphasis on early introduction to clinical training. These changes condense the traditional basic science curriculum, yet basic science remains critical to clinical medicine. Students who learn basic science explanations for clinical correlates have improved retention. The goal is to embed basic sciences within the clerkship. METHODS: At the end of each required clinical clerkship at the University of Michigan, students on their rotations were asked to evaluate their overall clerkship experiences from December 2017 to July 2018. The survey included the statement “Basic science concepts were taught during patient care delivery” with a too-little to too-much five level scale, with a score of three being “just right.” Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. RESULTS: For the OB/gyn clerkship, 102 students completed the survey. The mean score was 2.37 with a standard deviation of 0.7. Other clerkships were blinded. The same statement in other clerkships resulted in a score of 2.39 (0.69), 2.73 (0.68), 2.88 (0.56), 2.68 (0.64), 2.65 (0.63), 2.45 (0.73), and 2.66 (0.59). DISCUSSION: While basic science concepts are taught in the OB/gyn clerkship, there is significant room for improvement. All clerkships fell below what students considered optimal basic science teaching. Teaching scripts, basic science videos, and didactics with purposeful integration of basic science principles could be an effective, efficient method of integrating basic science content within the clerkship.