Radiologists as clinical tutors in a problem-based medical school curriculum

The authors sought to evaluate the experience of radiologists teaching in a problem-based pre-clinical medical school curriculum.

The undergraduate medical school curriculum at Wake Forest University includes 2 problem-based preclinical years that integrate basic and clinical sciences. Sixteen radiology fellows served as general clinical tutors for 5-9 weeks, each guiding the work of six 2nd-year students, often in tandem with a basic science tutor. On completion of the tutoring. the radiologists and the students were surveyed by means of a questionnaire. A follow-up group interview was conducted with the radiologists.

The response rate to the questionnaire was 81% for the radiologists and 47% for the students. On average, radiologists spent 6.1 hours weekly on preparation and tutoring and 3.5 hours in total on administration and grading. All radiologists thought tutoring was rewarding, but seven of the 13 respondents (54%) disliked assigning grades. Radiologists spent less time teaching radiology residents and performing research, but few thought their clinical work was adversely affected. Nearly half of the radiologist-tutors thought that the preliminary orientation and training provided to them by the medical school was not adequate, and nearly all of them thought that they could have been better prepared. All of the medical students improved their perceptions of radiologists after having had a radiologist as a tutor, and most thought that the radiologist-tutors performed as well as or better than tutors from other disciplines.

Radiologists can be successful as general tutors in a problem-based medical school curriculum. benefiting both radiologists and students. Better orientation and training by the medical school would improve the program.