TY - JOUR
T1 - Preclinical preceptorships in medical school
T2 - Can curricular objectives be met in diverse teaching settings?
AU - Ogrinc, Greg
AU - Eliassen, M. Scottie
AU - Schiffman, Jennifer S.
AU - Pipas, Catherine F.
AU - Cochran, Nan
AU - Nierenberg, David W.
AU - Carney, Patricia A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by two Family Medicine Predoctoral Training grants (5D15 PE80040 & 6D16 HP00011) and the Office of Community-Based Education and Research at Dartmouth Medical School. This material is original work and is based on work supported by the Office of Quality and Performance, Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Ogrinc was a fellow in the VA National Quality Scholars Program. The opinions and findings contained herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs or Dartmouth Medical School. Correspondence may be sent to Greg Ogrinc, White River Junction VA Medical Center, 11Q, 215 N Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009, USA. E-mail: greg.ogrinc@med.va.gov
PY - 2006/3
Y1 - 2006/3
N2 - Background: Although preclinical preceptorships for medical students during the first 2 years are now common, little is known about how well the curricular objectives can be met in clinical training sites. Purpose: To evaluate whether a clinical encounter system can help align preclinical preceptorship experiences with the core curriculum. Methods: Using a PDA documentation system, 27 students collected student-preceptor-patient encounter information on all patients (N = 2,953) during a 2-year clinical training course. We compared Years 1 and 2 teaching and learning processes, common symptoms seen, and counseling skills performed and examined how well these clinical experiences aligned with the curricular goals. Results: The majority of encounters in Year 1 involved the student observing the preceptor perform a history (47%) or physical exam (40%). In Year 2, there was a shift to student and preceptor both participating in the history (Year 1, 12%; Year 2, 24%; p = .004) and physical exam (Year 1, 34%; Year 2, 47%; p = .002). Cardiovascular; pulmonary; and head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examinations were most common in Year 1 and increased in Year 2. Genitourinary, gynecologic, and neurological examinations occurred least often, and only the neurological examinations increased significantly in Year 2. Overall, at least 75% of students could find opportunities in Years 1 and 2 to achieve the majority of curricular goals. Conclusions: Knowing what students experience at their preceptor sites is vital for clinical skills course evaluation. Student-preceptor-patient encounter data should be used to complement other course evaluations to aid curriculum planning and decrease variability in student experiences.
AB - Background: Although preclinical preceptorships for medical students during the first 2 years are now common, little is known about how well the curricular objectives can be met in clinical training sites. Purpose: To evaluate whether a clinical encounter system can help align preclinical preceptorship experiences with the core curriculum. Methods: Using a PDA documentation system, 27 students collected student-preceptor-patient encounter information on all patients (N = 2,953) during a 2-year clinical training course. We compared Years 1 and 2 teaching and learning processes, common symptoms seen, and counseling skills performed and examined how well these clinical experiences aligned with the curricular goals. Results: The majority of encounters in Year 1 involved the student observing the preceptor perform a history (47%) or physical exam (40%). In Year 2, there was a shift to student and preceptor both participating in the history (Year 1, 12%; Year 2, 24%; p = .004) and physical exam (Year 1, 34%; Year 2, 47%; p = .002). Cardiovascular; pulmonary; and head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examinations were most common in Year 1 and increased in Year 2. Genitourinary, gynecologic, and neurological examinations occurred least often, and only the neurological examinations increased significantly in Year 2. Overall, at least 75% of students could find opportunities in Years 1 and 2 to achieve the majority of curricular goals. Conclusions: Knowing what students experience at their preceptor sites is vital for clinical skills course evaluation. Student-preceptor-patient encounter data should be used to complement other course evaluations to aid curriculum planning and decrease variability in student experiences.
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U2 - 10.1207/s15328015tlm1802_4
DO - 10.1207/s15328015tlm1802_4
M3 - Article
C2 - 16626268
AN - SCOPUS:33646584886
SN - 1040-1334
VL - 18
SP - 110
EP - 116
JO - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
JF - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
IS - 2
ER -