What do medical students actually do on clinical rotations?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Clinical Learning Environments

Background:

• Medical schools utilize diverse clinical teaching settings.
• Limited research exists on student learning activities across different clinical environments.
• Understanding student experiences in various settings is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and analyze the learning activities of medical students in three distinct Australian clinical settings: urban tertiary teaching hospital, remote secondary referral hospital, and rural community-based program.
• To compare student engagement and learning experiences across these settings.
• To provide empirical evidence on the efficacy of different clinical training environments.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-eight medical students participated, completing week-long learning logs in weeks 9 and 35 of their academic year.
• Student activities were recorded in 15-minute intervals over the study weeks.
• Data were analyzed to compare time spent in clinical settings, patient contact, and supervision across the three environments.

Main Results:

• Community-based students reported significantly greater patient contact and time in clinical settings compared to hospital-based students.
• Community-based students experienced increased supervision by experienced clinicians.
• Community-based students valued clinical learning more highly than home-based learning, unlike tertiary hospital students.

Conclusions:

• Rural community-based medical education programs offer a credible and effective alternative to traditional tertiary teaching hospital settings.
• The findings support the integration of diverse clinical settings in medical curricula to enhance student learning experiences.
• Further research comparing learning outcomes in different clinical environments is warranted.