Abstract
BackgroundAt Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM), the Robert R. Frank Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) is one place preclinical students can gain clinical experience. There have been no published studies to date measuring the impact of student-run free clinic (SRFC) volunteerism on clinical skills development in preclinical medical students.MethodsSurveys were given to first year medical students at WSU SOM at the beginning and end of Year 1 to assess perception of clinical skills, including self-confidence, self-reflection, and professionalism. Scores of the Year 1 Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) were compared between SRFC volunteers and non-volunteers.ResultsThere were a total of 206 (68.2%) and 80 (26.5%) survey responses at the beginning and end of Year 1, respectively. Of the 80 students, 31 (38.7%) volunteered at SRFC during Year 1. Statistically significant differences were found between time points in self-confidence (p < 0.001) in both groups. When looking at self-confidence in skills pertaining to SRFC, the difference between groups was statistically significant (p = 0.032) at both time points. A total of 302 students participated in the Year 1 OSCE, 27 (9%) of which were SRFC volunteers. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for mean score (p = 0.888) and established level of rapport (p = 0.394).ConclusionsWhile this study indicated no significant differences in clinical skills in students who volunteer at the SRFC, it is a first step in attempting to measure clinical skill development outside of the structured medical school setting. The findings lend themselves to development of research designs, clinical surveys, and future studies to measure the impact of clinical volunteer opportunities on clinical skills development in future physicians.
Highlights
At Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM), the Robert R
The purpose of this study was to determine if volunteering at a Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) in the preclinical years of medical school training impacts clinical skill development
Four anonymous surveys were distributed to all Year 1 students enrolled in WSU SOM at the beginning (August 2011) and end (April 2012) of the school year: the Experience Questionnaire, Confidence Survey, Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS) [4], and Pharmacy Professionalism Instrument (PPI) [5]
Summary
At Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM), the Robert R. Frank Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) is one place preclinical students can gain clinical experience. There have been no published studies to date measuring the impact of student-run free clinic (SRFC) volunteerism on clinical skills development in preclinical medical students. Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM) in Detroit, Michigan opened one such clinic, the Robert R. The clinic provides primary care services to the uninsured and underserved. It is administered by medical students at all levels of training and supervised by physician attendings. Roles of the students range from providing primary care, social work, patient education, and laboratory services, as well as maintaining the front desk and pharmacy. Students have duties outside the clinic such as patient scheduling and follow up, preceptor recruitment, fundraising, and grant writing
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