Clinical Clerkship Students Research Articles

Diagnostic ability of medical students in relation to their learning characteristics and preclinical background.

Is the diagnostic ability of medical students--as appraised by the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) --influenced by the learners' characteristics, or the way they acquired basic knowledge? This question was explored in a 4-year consecutive sampling of clinical clerkship students. DTI inventory scores (flexibility in thinking and structure in memory), learners' characteristics (learning style, self-confidence as a learner, and motivation to learn), together with knowledge scores (grade-point) average and problem-solving test) were measured and analysed for their relationships and the differences between groups. Results revealed that higher scores of the DTI measures were associated with students' high self-confidence, high motivation to learn, and abstract learning types. Correlation coefficients showed significant relationships between the DTI scores and both knowledge measures. In addition, t-tests showed that students with an integrated teaching background and problem-based learning (PBL) experience obtained significantly higher scores for structure in memory. The findings suggest that the inventory scores are sensitive to both cognitive and non-cognitive factors. The inventory may be useful detecting subtle influences on diagnostic ability differentiation in medical students.

Time allocation of students in basic clinical clerkships in a traditional curriculum.

The objective of this study was to determine the amounts of time spent in various activities by medical students enrolled in basic clinical clerkships. In the fall of 1989, 80 third-year students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine recorded their time allocations in eight categories over 24 hours for three consecutive days. After personal time, the students spent the greatest amount of time in organized educational activities (rounds, conferences, lectures), followed in decreasing order by chartwork, patient contact, examination study, ancillary activities, procedures, and directed study. The students reported an average of 5.8 hours of sleep per night. The students reported that when they were on call, they had significant increases in patient contact, chartwork, and ancillary activities. The authors suggest that third-year students may spend too much of their time in organized educational activities, and may benefit educationally from increased amounts of patient contact and decreased amounts of ancillary activities. These data provide an opportunity for clerkship and curriculum organizers to analyze the efficacy of the basic clinical clerkships.

Videotaped Introductory Instruction in the Physical Examination for Clinical Clerkship Students

Videotaped Introductory Instruction in the Physical Examination for Clinical Clerkship Students

Performance of Male and Female Medical Students in a Medicine Clerkship

Little has been published about objective evaluation and comparison of performance of female and male medical students in clinical clerkships. Data were collected on objective grading and examination results of a three-month medicine clerkship involving 269 medical students, 222 men and 47 women, during 1975 and 1976. There were no significant differences in final course grades between the two sexes. Performance in wards and clinics and on written and oral examinations was also without significant differences when the two sexes' scores were compared. Thus, gender would appear to have no relationship to medical student performance in this clinical clerkship.

Evaluation of Students in a Competency-Based Undergraduate Clinical Clerkship

Evaluation of Students in a Competency-Based Undergraduate Clinical Clerkship

The Experience of Brief Survey for Teaching Journal Writing by Medical Students in a Clinical Curriculum of Family Medicine

Purpose: This study was to report our experience of the brief survey for teaching journal writhing by medical students in a clinical curriculum of family medicine. Methods: Brief surveys performed by medical students in clinical clerkship of department of family medicine form 1998 to 2000. Medical students determined theme without rein for brief surveys. Lecture about meaning and process of survey were conducted. The subjects of survey were outpatients, nursing person, medical students, nursing students, and other general persons. The subjects of theme were classified to 17 chapters 7 components by international classification of primary care (ICPC). Results: In analysis of brief surveys according to ICPC, the reasons for surveys by components were diagnostic, screening prevention (89.0%), treatment, procedures, medication (5.7%), symptoms, complaints (5.3%). By chapters, there were social (64.6%), psychological (12.6%), metabolic and endocrine (6.5%). Among social problems, there were other social problem (35.4%), health care system/access (20.9%), problem with education (13.9%), relation problems partner (12.7%). Majority of medical students had affirmative response for survey conduction. In conclusion, our finding suggest that teaching journal writing as brief survey seems to be useful in understanding of journal writing of medical students.