Relationship of rotation timing to pattern of clerkship performance in psychiatry

The authors investigated the association between psychiatry clerkship timing and pattern of student performance. Student rotation timing preference and specialty choice were explored as potential moderators.

Archival data from six classes of third-year medical students were analyzed. Performance indicators included the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) psychiatry subject examination, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and attending evaluation. Cluster analysis grouped students into homogeneous subsets based on performance. Cluster membership was examined as a function of timing, with and without timing preference and specialty choice as covariates.

The association between performance, as indicated by cluster membership, and rotation timing was not significant. There were no significant relationships between performance trends and student preference for rotation order or specialty choice.

The clerkship timing effect was not apparent for the psychiatry clerkship when the full pattern of student performance was examined. Student preference and specialty choice did not moderate performance.