Early clinical experience enhances third-year pediatrics clerkship performance

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Development
• Pediatrics Training

Background:

• Traditional preclinical curricula offer limited clinical exposure.
• Early clinical experiences may enhance medical student preparedness.
• The impact of early mentorship programs on skill acquisition is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if preclinical clinical experiences enhance medical students' performance in third-year clerkships.
• To compare the clinical skills of students with traditional versus early clinical exposure.
• To evaluate the effect of a mentorship program on pediatrics clerkship outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study of 400 medical students across four graduating classes (1996-1999).
• Comparison of students with traditional preclinical training versus those in an 18-month early clinical experience mentorship program.
• Evaluation of clinical skills (CS) scores, history and physical examination (H&P) scores, and NBME pediatrics shelf examination performance.

Main Results:

• NBME pediatrics shelf examination scores and MCAT scores significantly increased over the study period.
• Clinical skills (CS) and history and physical examination (H&P) scores did not show a significant rise overall.
• Students with traditional curricula performing clerkships early scored lower in CS and H&P compared to peers.

Conclusions:

• A mentorship program providing early clinical experience significantly improved medical students' clinical skills during the pediatrics clerkship.
• Early exposure through mentorship positively impacted performance, particularly for students rotating early in the academic year.
• The findings suggest that integrating early clinical experiences can enhance skill development in medical education.